For a while, it looked like nothing was going to stop John at the Gators. Any way you looked at his performance leading up to that final round against Ron Capps, it appeared that this was a race that belonged to him.

That’s why drag racing has always been a sport where nobody counts their chickens before they hatch.

John was in a class by himself in qualifying, taking the No. 1 spot despite some home run swings by Whit Bazemore, Tony Bartone, and even John’s own teammates, Eric and Robert. Then in eliminations, it seemed as if John was gathering strength with every round win, getting past Tony Pedregon, Del Worsham, and Robert with nearly flawless passes, including his semi-final win against Robert that gave John Low elapsed time of the race, a 4.751.

But it all unraveled in the final when John got loose almost at the hit, pedaled the car and got it hooked up again, then wrestled with his Castrol Mustang until it bashed into the finish line timing blocks. Ugly.

It was still an impressive outing for the team and John is less than two rounds out of first place with 19 races left to go. As long as he continues to win rounds and avoid early exits on Sunday, he’ll make a solid run for his 14th championship. There was plenty to celebrate on Sunday, despite his runner-up finish since Ashley picked up her first national event win of the year in Top Alcohol Dragster, beating the always tough Randy Meyer in the final.

Courtney and Brittany didn’t have a very satisfying outing in Super Comp as they lost in the early stages of eliminations on Saturday. They’re still very much in the learning stages of racing in the 8.90 category, a bitterly competitive class that’s overrun with some of the very best sportsman drag racers in the country. If heredity has anything to do with drag racing talent, you can expect them to start making some dramatic progress this year.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of the people from the A&E production crew who were in Gainesville shooting footage for John’s upcoming reality show, “Driving Force”. If you think that all John has to do is pay attention to his usual leadership and driving duties as the cameras are rolling and give little attention to the show’s production, think again. John mentioned several times to me that this was a whole new experience having a film crew shooting almost every aspect of his personal and professional life 24/7, and although John is as comfortable and at ease in front of the lens as any racer I’ve ever known, it’s still just a bit unnerving to have so much of your life on display.

But that’s what will make “Driving Force” such a fascinating show when it premiers later this year. You’ll get to see John and his family at home and at the racetrack as they try to keep their crazy schedule and non-stop lifestyle under control. Trust me; you’re going to shake your head in total wonderment when you see what goes on behind the scenes with John, his wife Laurie, Ashley, Brittany, Courtney, and the whole JFR gang.

In two weeks, it will be time for the O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston and following the race, I’ll be back with more from “In the Groove”. And please try to catch me on Sunday mornings at 11 AM Eastern on ESPN2 on the new season of “Inside Drag Racing”.

I’d appreciate it!

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