By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In nearly 50 years of NHRA drag racing, John Force has seen multiple tracks come and go ... but this one will really hurt.
A 10-time Topeka winner, NHRA legend John Force watches the qualifying action Friday night during the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sixteen-time Funny Car world champ John Force takes part in Friday night qualifying during the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 74-year-old Funny Car legend, who has a track-record 10 national-event wins at Heartland Motorsports Park (formerly Heartland Park Topeka) among his national-record 155 career victories, isn't quite ready to say he'll never race in Topeka again.
"Who knows what's going to happen? When they start tearing it down, that's when we'll know,'' Force said.
But in the wake of the NHRA's recent announcement that the HMP race, a staple on the national schedule since the Topeka track opened in 1989, will move to Odessa, Mo. in 2024, the drag racing GOAT is having trouble dealing with the news.
"It makes me sick, this is my life,'' Force said. "When you look at the big picture, I came (to this area) before Topeka was here. I raced at Kansas City. I stayed in Independence (Mo.) at the Ramada Inn. Then the AHRA went away and they built this track and I've been coming here every since.''
If there's one driver whose name has been synonymous with Topeka drag racing it's John Force.
His first Topeka win came in the early days of the facility while his most recent Topeka win came in 2021 (he was second a year ago) and his biggest T-town victory came in 2008, his first win after a career-threatening crash in Dallas.
"I run good here,'' Force said. "I've won it a lot of times and my daughter Brittany and I did back to back here (in '21) and that was very important to me to share a winner's circle with her. I couldn't with my other daughters (Ashley and Courtney) because they were in Funny Car, so it was special.
"I remember after I crashed they told me I'd never drive again and I still struggle. The ankle still gives me trouble, a knee, a broken leg, a broken wrist. I'm a mess, but that race car don't know it and I can still get it down there. But I came back and won the race and I went to jump over the fence and I couldn't get over the fence to the crowd.''
Force is a California guy, but said he's always identified with the people in the Midwest.
"I just like the people, and that's what it's all about to me,'' he said. "I'm a cowboy boot guy and I just like the people. I've got so many memories and it's really hard for me, but I just put on my firesuit and I go to work. And as long as the fans are out there I'm going out there.
"We'll give the fans a race. They're excited to be here and they're like, 'Is it (closing)?' And I go, 'I honestly don't know.' I'm not that smart, but I hope not. And if it does, I get it. I hate to see this, but the world's changing. Tracks are closing, but others are popping up. I'm getting older and I'm looking at all of this, what's happening around me, but I still love driving them race cars.''
And Force still loves Topeka.
"The hotels treat us good and the eateries are all good to us,'' he said. "I go down to that Red Robin, that's where I go because I can get myself a salad and a fish and get me some ice cream. My kids love Red Robin and I've been there twice already.''
Although the 16-time champ has accomplished everything possible in racing, Force said he's still not ready to walk away from the sport he loves.
"I still love the racing,'' he said. "I love what NHRA is doing, they're trying to grow it. Everyone's trying to help because we just want it to get better.
"It's what I've done my whole life. After this year there's two more years that I'm under contract with Peak and Chevy and there's already people that want to push me out, but it will be 50 years in two years with NHRA and I raced before that 10 years, so I've been out here almost 60.''
And although Force is trying to hold out hope that he will be back in Topeka, he's preparing to say goodbye in a way that only John Force could.
"I'm going to kiss the dirt,'' he said. "I'm going to get down on my knees and kiss the dirt because I love this place.''
Other world champions on the expected closing of Heartland Motorsports Park:
GREG ANDERSON, five-time Pro Stock champ: "I've got a lot of great memories here, no question about that. We've created a lot of magic here and not only in my own driving and racing career but before that, when I worked with Warren (Johnson). We had a lot of great times here, won a lot of great races and had a lot of fun here, so it's certainly going to be sad if we don't get to come back next year. Hopefully, things will change. It's a great facility, a fantastic facility and it would really be a shame if we weren't going to come back. I'm going to cross my fingers that everything we're hearing has changed by next year.''
ROBERT HIGHT, three-time Funny Car champ: "This is where I joined John Force Racing. I got my Funny Car license here. A lot of history here and I'm sad to see it go, sad that this is going to be the last time we'll come here because there's been a lot of cool things happen here. I got the 200th win for John Force Racing. (Mike) Neff and I were racing and one of us was going to be the 200th win and I got that. This place has been really good to us and hopefully it is one more tiime.''
RON CAPPS, three-time Funny Car champ: "Some fans may not remember, we actually used to go to Heartland Park Topeka twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Obviously, the history tells the tale. Records were set there pretty much every year we went. It’s a fantastic race track in the heart of the country with a lot of race fans that come from all over the place. We surely don’t want to think about how this will be the last time that we’re there. I always brag about the city of Topeka and how inviting and how well they’ve treated us throughout the years -- hotels, restaurants, whatever it might be -- and especially all of our fans.''
