BILL STEPHENS “IN THE GROOVE” 11/16/09

In the entire history of John Force Racing, there has never been a season finale like the one we saw on Sunday in Pomona. Robert clinches his first Full Throttle championship, after qualifying No. 1, Ashley advances to the final round and wraps up her best career points finish (2nd), and Mike wins his first national event as a driver.

Not a whole lot left on the table, huh?

I had the privilege of being Robert’s guest this weekend and flew out to Pomona to help him prepare his championship acceptance speech which he’ll deliver at the NHRA Awards Ceremonies Monday night at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Century City. Robert has devoted a great deal of time developing his media presentation skills and his efforts really show. But making a speech in front of hundreds of people at the concluding function of the NHRA season is a different breed of cat and so Robert and I will be tuning up his speech and presentation for the big event.

As Robert and I were having dinner Sunday night and discussing his speech, people walking into the restaurant noticed him (wearing his Auto Club crew shirt and hat) and came over to the table to offer his congratulations. One gentleman who we didn’t know who had driven down from his home in Las Vegas for the race actually bought us dinner, which was a very gracious gesture.

I would be overstating the obvious if I were to point out what a popular champion Robert is. A finer individual would be tough to find in not only NHRA drag racing but any sport and the reaction from the crowd on Saturday when he was officially named the 2009 Funny Car champion was an indication of just how much people admire and respect him.

Some people may forget that Robert has only been driving a Funny Car for five years—which is rather remarkable considering he is now a world champion. There are more than a few talented and accomplished drivers in the class who have been at this much longer than Robert who have never won a championship and I’ve mentioned that fact in previous columns. It’s also worth mentioning that Robert won his first national event in only his fourth pro start and by comparison, his father-in-law, John, advanced to a dozen final rounds before winning his first event title.

And so, another NHRA season comes to an end. It amazes me how quickly the year passes—in both drag racing and in the real world. Does it seem like only a few weeks ago we were reminding ourselves to write “2009” when making out a check? In less than two months, it will be 2010. Can you believe it?  And what will be even more startling will be how short the off-season will be. The 50th Winternationals will be on the doorstep before we’ve had a chance to catch our breaths.

But now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of the labors which have given JFR yet another championship. By my count, that’s 16 (14 for John, 1 for Tony Pedregon, and 1 for Robert).  And it’s time for me to take a little break from the post-race commentary and kick back for the Holidays. Before I wrap this up, I want to let everyone know I’m producing and hosting a new series for Fox Sports Net for 2010 entitled “The NHRA’s Greatest Races” which I think is going to be a big hit. I have been given unlimited access to the immense tape archives of Diamond P Sports who for almost 30 years produced all of the NHRA’s national event coverage. Those archives now reside at NHRA headquarters and I am producing 13, 30-minute programs highlighting many of the most memorable and historically significant races ever televised. The show is due to premier on January 4th and I hope everyone across the country will be sure to tune in.

Until then, have a happy and prosperous Holiday season and we’ll get things back underway in February 2010 when the NHRA Full Throttle campaign fires back up!