Courtney’s primary sponsor is radio-controlled car-maker Traxxas. Here she is holding one
The name Force is synonymous with drag racing, thanks to a whopping 15 NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car championship trophies on John Force's mantle. But it's not just John who makes news; his daughter, Ashley, was the first woman to win in a Funny Car (poetically, against her dad). Ashley stepped out of the spotlight after becoming a mother, and her youngest sister, 24-year-old Courtney, is the one making waves today. As the Force girl with the strongest desire to follow in her father's footsteps, it was no surprise that she won her very first round of NHRA Funny Car competition at the Winternationals in Pomona against Bob Tasca III. Then she won another round, against her dad, in Phoenix the following weekend. Could she be the next big thing in drag racing? With one of the best teams, a winning smile, and a truly nice disposition, we think so. We sat with Courtney in the team's former shop (now a showroom) in Yorba Linda, California, and threw some questions at her. Learn more at CourtneyForce.com.
HRM] How did that first round at Pomona feel?
CF] I was in shock! We had a consistent car all weekend at Pomona, so I was happy about that. My main goal was to just get the car qualified, so once we'd done that, going up for first round I wasn't really nervous. I said to myself, "I've already done what I really wanted to do." Tasca got out ahead of me and right at the end he had a problem with his car. He just kind of fell back, and I just held on hoping nothing would go wrong with my car. Then I saw the win light and started screaming at my guys on the radio, "I can't believe we just won!" I was so excited and hopped out of my car and then had to make sure we actually won before I went and did an interview. It was cool.
HRM] When you win your first event, who would you like to beat in the final? You can't say your dad.
CF] One of the veteran drivers, like Robert [Hight, her teammate and brother-in-law] or [Matt] Hagan. Any of them would be pretty tough to beat in the final, and I think that would be the coolest.
HRM] Will Ashley get back in a car?
CF] I think so. I think she will. She's obviously taking a break now because she just had Jacob. But I see how she is when she gets back out at the racetrack, and she's always having fun. She's enjoying watching me for now, but I think eventually…I want her out there, I want to compete against her!
HRM] What's the most scared you've ever been in a race car?
CF] Probably the first time it dropped two cylinders and spun the tires at the other end, and made a hard left to the wall. That was in testing, in Charlotte. I pulled it back but it was a surprise to me--I hadn't ever experienced that before. That was my first time spinning the tires at the other end, and I ended up scraping all the paint off my car. I wasn't really scared; it just threw me off. I learned from it and said, "OK, I never want to do that again."
HRM] What was the first car you ever took down the quarter-mile?
CF] A Super Comp dragster. I was 16. I was pushing my parents and said, "The minute I turn 16, I'm going to Frank Hawley's drag racing school, I want to get licensed, I want to start racing as soon as possible." I knew it would be a long process before I could eventually go into a Funny Car, and that was my ultimate goal. So yeah, my first time was a Super Comp dragster, and Jack Beckman was my instructor.
HRM] Who's your biggest hero outside your family?
CF] Probably Shirley Muldowney. She's kind of the reason we're all in it, you know, the girls. She paved the way for all of us women racers. She got the brunt of it and was the only one out there against all these guys. I can't imagine how it would have been. It's still tough, but it's a little more accepted now. She went out and stuck to her guns and wanted to be a race car driver and did it. And I think that's pretty cool, very admirable.
HRM] What's your daily driver?
CF] It's a Mustang 5.0.
HRM] Is it stock?
CF] It is. I might speed it up a little, but it's good as it is. I have another fast car for the weekends, so...
HRM] Your dad has quite a few cars and some hot rods. If you could have one, which would it be?
CF] His Ford GT, not just because it's a Ford but I've always been a fast, hot rod kind of girl. I love old Mustangs, but I also love the fast new ones.
HRM] If your dad had his jaw wired shut and couldn't speak, how long before his head exploded?
CF] Probably five minutes. We've tried it. He'll say, "I won't talk for the rest of the night." And we'll count and then it won't even be 20 seconds later and he blurts something out. We're like, "You promised you weren't going to say anything!" and he tries it again, and he can't. That's just his personality--he's loud and he likes to talk all the time. I've never seen him sit there and be quiet.
HRM] Which one's more fun, the dragster or the Funny Car?
CF] I think the Funny Car. There's a lot more going on. The engine's right in front of you. I love the warmups in the car and doing the burnouts--it's a lot of fun. The dragster just stays pretty smooth and straight, but the Funny Car is loud and exciting. All the action's in front of you, and you're sitting between the tires. It's really cool.
HRM] What did it feel like when the body first came down?
CF] Oh my gosh! I'd always watched it from the starting line and had a sick feeling and thinking, I can't imagine being in that seat. And now I am. It was so strange the first time they put it down and I thought, OK, it's all up to me now. No one can help me anymore. I'm controlling the car and I have to remember everything everyone's taught me and not be afraid. It went good, though.
HRM] You're the only Force daughter who wanted to race since you were little.
CF] Yeah. I grew up drawing pictures of race cars and me racing my dad. I always had all his sponsors on the side. I even made one that said Don Prudhomme. I just always looked up to these guys. My dad brought his big rig and Funny Car to my school every year, from like first grade on. Dad would talk to the class, and let a kid wear a helmet or sit in the car. And I thought it was just so cool. I was like, "This is what I want to do. I want to grow up to be like my dad." I was kind of a tomboy. I loved being at the racetrack and hanging out with all the crew guys and getting dirty. Whenever they'd ask in class what you wanted to be, I was always the first one with my hand in the air.
HRM] Ashley was named World's Hottest Athlete by AOL Sports. Are you hotter than her?
CF] Oh my gosh, no! She's gorgeous and has so much going for her. She was a great racer and has an amazing personality to go with her good looks. That's tough to compete against! I can't talk smack on her…she's too nice!
HRM] What would you do if you didn't race?
CF] I don't know. I never had a backup plan. I thought about it before I went into racing. Alright, Courtney, if I get into the car and I'm terrified or not good at it, or I just can't do it, I need a backup plan. I went to college always asking, Can I do this if racing doesn't work out? and I never came up with anything. I got my bachelor's degree in communications focused on entertainment studies, so I guess I could work for NHRA or my dad, but I never really had a backup plan.
HRM] What's your favorite part of racing outside of driving?
CF] Traveling. And this sounds really cheesy, but just being with my family. I think it's cool that this is a family business, and I get to be with my family. I grew up with my family being in it, and now Ashley's kid, Jacob, is coming, and it's so much fun having everyone out there cheering us on. And it's all the same people at our company. John Medlin is back, and it's good having him back. Bernie Fedderly and obviously Austin Coil. They were all like big brothers to me, so it's like a big family team.
HRM] If you ever have kids, would you encourage them to go racing or persuade them not to?
CF] I don't think I would persuade them not to. I would find it weird if I had a kid and the kid didn't want to go racing, because I was so hard-core about it. I would bring them around to the races because I think it's such an amazing sport. It is dangerous, so that would probably be the hardest thing. My dad didn't hold me back, and he knew how bad I wanted it, and the same with my mom. They were encouraging and supportive, so I think I'd be OK. But I'd probably be racing right next to them like my dad does with us.
HRM] When do you think you'll get your first event win?
CF] Oh, man, that seems so far away! I've been very lucky lately. I have a great team and a great crew chief and that's definitely something that helps me out as a driver. I'm still learning in the car, I'm still a rookie driver, I'm still just taking it day by day. I don't want to lose focus. I just focus on getting the car qualified, keep it going straight down the groove, and just go round by round and not think about the other end with the trophy…I don't think that far ahead. Hopefully, if it's consistent enough, we will get one this season. That would be pretty cool.
Five Historic Female Drag Racers You Should Know
There was a time when women were not allowed to drive in NHRA events. Today, it's not at all unusual. Here are six of the groundbreakers you need to know about.
After racing since the late '50s, the "Drag-On Lady" became the first female to win a national event, scoring the Stock title in her '65 Plymouth at the '66 NHRA Winternationals.
This Gasser driver was the first woman the NHRA licensed for a supercharged car--and she built her own engines. Barb won her class at the '66 NHRA Springnationals.
Judi and husband, Dave, raced a number of Stock class cars, and at the '71 Summernationals, in their Rod Shop team Dodges, they both ended up in the final round. It was the first husband/wife final in NHRA history. He bulbed, she won.
"Miss Mighty Mopar" won her class at the '72 Winternationals
Needs no introduction, with three Top Fuel championships and 18 nationals wins. At the '76 Springnationals she became the first woman to win a Pro class.