Courtney Force Announces She Will Be Stepping Away From Driving Duties
The winningest female funny car driver in NHRA history is hanging up her driving suit. Courtney Force, the daughter of sixteen time Funny Car world champion John Force, announced today that she will no longer be behind the wheel of the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car. She will remain an active part of the John Force Racing team, working to support her teammates and maintain the partnerships she’s forged in her 7 years behind the wheel.
The announcement was posted on the JFR website this morning, and included the following quote from Courtney. “I will be stepping away from my driving duties, effective immediately. This was a personal choice as I feel I’m ready to see what the next chapter in my life has in store for me, while spending more time with family,” said Force. “I intend to remain involved in the industry I love and continue to work with a few select partners as I go forward in 2019. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to have such a successful career at John Force Racing and the privilege of working with so many incredible people while racing against competitors who pushed me to be a better driver.”
In her 167 professional races, Force won 12 races and was #1 qualifier 28 times, including a stellar 11 poles last season alone. She was runner up 17 times, and amassed a 13-16 record against her father, who Courtney says is the reason she decided to drive in the first place. “I first have to thank my dad for encouraging me to live out my dream of being a Funny Car driver while getting to compete against him and learn from the best.”
She went on to thank her family and her husband, Graham Rahal, as well as her team, for “…their undeniable will to win and for always keeping me motivated, confident and safe in my race car.”
In closing, Force thanked her sponsors, including Advance Auto Parts, Chevrolet, Auto Club, Peak, Monster Energy, PPG and Mac Tools. Finally, she thanked her fans by saying “Last but not least, to my fans: thank you for all of your support throughout my career. I’m excited to see where this next chapter will take me and I hope to see you all at the track soon.”
After an incredible run these last seven years in my nitro funny car, I have decided it is the right time for me to step away from driving duties. Thank you SO much for all of your continued support! To my John Force Racing family, my Advance Auto Parts team, my sponsors, my competitors and especially the fans, thank you for always being so supportive in my journey in racing and I hope to have your continued support as I enter into the next chapter in life. I hope to see you all at the races! NHRAMore info: https://bit.ly/2CHBzkf
Posted by Courtney Force on Thursday, 24 January 2019
