JOHN FORCE’S IMPROBABLE COMEBACK TO WIN HIS RECORD 15TH NHRA FUNNY CAR TITLE IS FANS’ CHOICE FOR NHRA’S GREATEST MOMENT
Don Garlits’ debut of the rear-engine dragster – and winning – in Pomona in 1971 is fans’ choice for the No. 2 Greatest Moment in NHRA history
GLENDORA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2011) – NHRA’s 60th anniversary season began 11 months ago with a quest to determine the greatest moment in its 60-year history and Sunday, on the final day of the 2011 season, that quest was achieved.
A season-long fan vote conducted on NHRA’s Facebook page had whittled the list of moments down to two final great moments and on Sunday, during pre-race at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, John Force’s comeback from the devastating accident in Dallas to win his record 15th NHRA Funny Car Championship was announced as the fans’ choice for The Greatest Moment in NHRA history.
Force’s dramatic and improbable comeback was presented along with Don Garlits’ debut of the rear-engine dragster – and winning – at the 1971 NHRA Winternationals during a pre-race ceremony as the two finalists.
Force’s comeback was as unlikely a moment as there has been in sports history. Not only did he come back from such a devastating accident – in his late 50s -- to race again, but he returned all the way back to championship form. And what many may forget is that he also had to come back on the final day of the 2010 season to win his championship – he entered the 2010 Auto Club NRHA Finals trailing Matt Hagan in the point standings.
“All of you (fans) … at the end of the day, it’s all about the fans,” Force said. “I’ll accept this for all the racers. Big Daddy, in my mind, you won too, you’re right here with me.”
Garlits debut of the rear-engine dragster was a worthy runner-up, a moment that revolutionized the sport of drag racing. Garlits himself, the No. 1 driver on NHRA’s list of 50 greatest drivers of all-time, said it was his greatest contribution to drag racing.
The announcement culminated the year-long program that saw fans vote on all 60 Moments to narrow the list to first a Top 20 and then a Top 10 and finally a Top 5 Greatest Moments entering this weekend’s final race of the year.
After unveiling the No. 5 Greatest Moment on Friday (Kenny Bernstein’s breaking of the 300-mph barrier at the 1992 Gatornationals), NHRA announced the Nos. 3 and 4 Greatest Moments – the Founding of NHRA and Tony Schumacher’s “The Run,” respectively – on Saturday.
The quest for NHRA’s Greatest Moment has been one of a number of programs NHRA created during this historic 60th anniversary season to celebrate the sport’s rich tradition.
It began with the announcement in January 2011 of the 60 Greatest Moments in NHRA history, as selected by a panel of drag racing experts. From there, it was turned over to the fans who responded in huge numbers during the first two stages of the program – more than 7.5 million impressions and more than 31,000 fan interactions – to trim the original list of 60 Greatest Moments to the Top 20 Greatest Moments (on Aug. 22) and the Top 10 Greatest Moments (Sept. 5).
Here is the complete list of the Top 10 Greatest Moments:
No. 1: John Force’s improbable comeback to win 15th Funny Car title (2010)
No. 2: Don Garlits debuts the rear-engine dragster – and wins – at Pomona (‘71)
No. 3: The Founding of NHRA (1951)
No. 4: Tony Schumacher’s “The Run” (2006)
No. 5: Kenny Bernstein makes NHRA’s first 300-mph run (1992)
No. 6: Shirley Muldowney is NHRA’s first woman to win a world title (1977)
No. 7: Don Garlits makes NHRA’s first 200-mph run (1964)
No. 8: Ashley Force Hood is first woman to win in Funny Car (2008)
No. 9: John Force is first to win 100 career races (2002)
No. 10: Shirley Muldowney is first woman to win in Top Fuel (1976)
Fans can visit the 60 Greatest Moments Web page for complete program details as well as to view historical photos and videos that retrace every step in NHRA rich and storied history. The page also includes links to view a preview of / purchase NHRA’s “60 Greatest Moments” DVD.
