John Force did everything but win the fourth annual CARQUEST Nationals Sunday at Route 66 Raceway where he regained his lost national record, became the first Funny Car driver to break the 4.70 second barrier and moved one step closer to claiming his 13th NHRA POWERade Championship.
Ironically, even though Del Worsham won the race, Force actually extended his championship lead thanks to the 20 bonus points he earned for lowering the Funny Car record to 4.665 seconds.
Also he earned no points for the feat, he also boosted the national speed record to 333.58 miles per hour, faster even than the national record in the Top Fuel dragster class (333.41 mph by Brandon Bernstein).
Nevertheless, after posting times of 4.665, 4.714 and 4.729 in the first three rounds, Force's Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang lost traction in the final, allowing Worsham to get by for the win in 4.809 seconds.
Despite his disappointment, Force moved into position to clinch his 13th title when the tour moves this week to Reading, Pa., for the Lucas Oil Nationals. He leads Worsham by 237 points. If he leaves Reading leading by at least 277 points, he will mathematically shut the door on Worsham.
