With just seven races remaining before the field is pared to 10 = drivers for the NHRA's Countdown to the Championship, Force and his Castrol GTX High = Mileage Ford Mustang have no number one starts, no final rounds, no wins, a = losing record and they occupy only ninth place in the Full Throttle Funny Car standings.

Needless to say, those are very un-Force-like statistics, ones the = 60-year-old icon hopes to amend this weekend when he brings his Mustang back the site of = some of his biggest racing moments to compete in the 12th annual United Association = Route 66 Nationals.

Although Force is third among Funny Car drivers in best average = reaction time, his race car has struggled to achieve the consistency that once made him = virtually unbeatable.

"I'm trying to give the car all the help I can give it," Force said = of his reaction time starts. "We've struggled so much with these new chassis. I'm not = complaining. It's where we went with the technology, with Ford, after Eric's accident and = mine. We know it's going to work, but it can be really frustrating right now. =20

= =20 Indeed, this is the longest Force has gone in his career without = reaching the finals (24 straight races) or starting from the top of the qualifying = order (61 consecutive events dating back to the 2006 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, = Ind.).=20 Nevertheless, no one has suggested that the fault lies with the driver.

=20 =20 In fact, most believe that because of the training regimen upon = which he embarked after his crash in September, 2007, Force now is in better physical = condition than he was during his run to a record 10 straight championships (1993-2002).=20

"I'm in the gym every night," Force said. "When I don't go, I can = tell the difference. I didn't want to just make a comeback, I wanted to be competitive, but the = car isn't there, yet. (Crew chiefs Austin) Coil and Bernie (Fedderly) are learning what = to do, but it's been slow. I'm guilty of not being patient, especially when we've got = one car (daughter Ashley Force Hood's Castrol GTX Mustang) that runs like Jack the Bear.

"Mine does the same thing," Force said. "It hauls ass and the next = run it won't.=20 Why? I don't why. That's what we're trying to find out." =20

Last week's race in Topeka, Kan., provided the perfect illustration = of Force's dilemma. After qualifying No. 2 and posting the quickest time of the = race in round one, his Ford slowed by a tenth of a second in a round two loss to points = leader Ron Capps.

"You push it too hard, it (overpowers the track and) smokes the = tires," Force said.=20 "Then, if you pull it back, it's weak and it still smokes the tires. = It's just a combination of things. We just have to continue testing to find our way back.

"We've had seasons where we were off two or three months, even six = months," said the 14-time Auto Racing All-America selection, "but not this far off and = not this many cars (a reference to the Mustangs of Robert Hight and Mike Neff, which = also have struggled). We're better than we were last year, but we're not where we = need to be. =20 We don't need to go rounds; we need to win a race."

Did You Know?
=E2=80=93 John is trying to extend to a record-setting 23 the number of = consecutive seasons in which he has won at least one NHRA tour event. He currently shares that = record with Warren Johnson.
=E2=80=93 John hasn't qualified No. 1 since Sept. 1, 2006. That's 61 = races, the longest drought of his career.

Force and Coil:
=E2=80=93 Over the 25 years they have been together, John Force and = Austin Coil have gone to the final round in 42 per cent of ALL the races they've run (198 of 474) = in the NHRA series.
=E2=80=93 Force and Coil were winless in their first 31 races together, = finally earning a breakthrough win on June 28, 1987 at Montreal, Canada.
=E2=80=93 En route to 14 NHRA championships and 126 tour victories, = there always have been three constants =E2=80=93 Force, Coil and Castrol.

At Route 66 Raceway:
=E2=80=93 It's been all-or-nothing for John in his last six appearances = in the UA Route 66 Nationals. He won the race in 2004 and 2006; lost in the first round in = 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
=E2=80=93 John became the most prolific winner in NHRA history on June = 4, 2000 when he beat Jerry Toliver to win the Route 66 Nationals. It was his 86th tour = victory and it enabled him to break a tie at the top with Pro Stock driver Bob Glidden.
=E2=80=93 John became the first Funny Car driver to break the 4.70 = second barrier on Sept. 30, 2004 when he was clocked in 4.697 seconds to qualify No. 1 for the fall = race at Route 66 Raceway. Two days later, he lowered the national record to 4.665 = seconds and raised the speed record to 333.58 mph.=20

=20 http://www.johnforceracing.com

Courtesy of Dave Densmore