![\"(John](\"https:\/\/nitrofccanada.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Z-ForceWC.jpg\")
<\/a>(John Force visited NHRA victory lane for the 146th time in his career!)<\/p><\/div>\n
Going into the final round John Force was 7-1 against Tommy Johnson Jr. and Force\u2019s Advance Auto Parts PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was looking for its third win of the season. The last final round match-up between these two racers was last season\u2019s New England Nationals where Force also took the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of work cut out for us. We\u2019ll be testing here all day tomorrow. You win a race and you still come right back and you test. I\u2019m excited. My wife said to me this morning, \u2018You have to get out of bed.\u2019 It\u2019s tough on me. I\u2019m beat up and it\u2019s been a challenge the last four nights in a row. I got up and I was mad. I said I was going to win today. Right before the final she said, \u2018Remember what you told me this morning?\u2019 I said, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m going to win,\u2019 said Force in the zMax Dragway press room.<\/p>\n
In the final Force and Johnson Jr. left the starting line together but by about 700 feet Force was driving around Johnson Jr. and getting to the finish line first with a winning elapsed time of 3.946 seconds at 324.05 mph edging out Johnson Jr\u2019s 3.987 second, 315.71 mph run.<\/p>\n
<\/a>(Force took the measure of Tommy Johnson Jr in the FC final by a close margin)<\/p><\/div>\n
While the final round win was critical, the semifinal match up with point leader Ron Capps was important not just for Force but also for his JFR Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car teammates. Force defeated Capps, the No. 2 qualifier, in an epic side by side race. Force got the win on the strength of his 3.957 second, 323.27 mph race in front of Capps\u2019s 4.003 second, 317.57 mph pass. The win stopped Capps\u2019s accumulation of points and allowed Force to ultimately end the day just 50 points out of the top spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a race car now that I can race with, and when you get a race car and you\u2019re on your game I can win. Tommy Johnson flew all weekend; he outran us but I was right in the hunt with him. (Ron) Capps in the semis, I love to race him. At the end of the day it was just a fight and we got the win, and we\u2019ll just take it from here,\u201d added Force.<\/p>\n
Force extended his win streak against Capps in Countdown races to 6-0 since the inception of the NHRA play-off format. The winningest driver in NHRA history beat three Countdown contending Funny Cars and also trailered the No. 1 and No. 2 qualifiers today.<\/p>\n
In many instances the road to victory is paved with a fortuitous round win and Force earned his in the second round against veteran Tim Wilkerson. As Force was rolling to the staging beams he realized the brakes on his Chevrolet Camaro were not engaging fully and the winner of over 1,200 rounds of racing had to depress the clutch pedal to stop his 10,000 hp Funny Car from rolling through the staging beams and costing him the race. Force\u2019s winning time of 4.013 seconds was pedestrian and his .394 reaction time could quite possibly be the worst winning reaction time of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n