(Photo: Aaron Bearden/Motorsports Beat)
By Aaron Bearden

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — When John Force opened the month of August with his 150th NHRA victory, the run was considered one the biggest of his career – a milestone moment 32 years after his first triumph with the tour.

One month later Force stormed down the strip for a win that may have meant even more.

Force pieced together four clean runs on Monday and outlasted Jack Beckman in the final round to claim the 2019 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. The win was the 151st of the 70-year-old’s legendary career, and his record-tying fifth win at the ‘Big Go.’

The result came 17 years after Force’s last U.S. Nationals win, adding another bucket list moment to a career that’s spanned more than three decades. It also capped off a day that saw the veteran’s John Force Racing team sign a three-year extension with Chevrolet.

“Winning Indy is the biggest thing on my bucket list. This is a big moment for me,” Force said. “I’m having an emotional day because I won Indy. It doesn’t matter what you do in life, you do it because you love it and I love it and when you don’t do good you do the best you can.”
The final round came down to the wire on Monday. Force laid down a 3.919 to top Beckman’s 3.940, denying Beckman his first victory of 2019.
Beckman entered Monday as the No. 1 seed after setting the quickest time of the three-day qualifying session. He cruised through a first round matchup when Justin Schriefer failed to complete a clean run, but had to overcome stout challenges from Bob Tasca III and defending champion J.R. Todd en route to the finale with Force.
Force’s road to a fifth U.S. Nationals crown took him through Jonnie Lindberg, teammate Robert Hight and Matt Hagan before the final round showdown with Beckman. He avoided any significant issues to place all four runs under four seconds, a feat no other semifinalist managed.
The top seeds prevailed throughout the day at Lucas Oil Raceway, save for an opening round upset of No. 4 seed Ron Capps by Ray Martin. The only other higher seed to win a round was Force, who rolled out as the No. 3 seed and beat the two competitors seeded ahead of him in the final two rounds.
Monday’s win could well be the last Indy triumph of Force’s lengthy NHRA career. The 70-year-old admitted that he was nearing the end of his career in his post-race press conference, explaining in detail the pain and fatigue that’s come with decades of engaging with the sport he loves.
“I know that one day I’ll have to retire,” he said. “But I said it would sure be good to win another championship and it would sure be nice to win Indy one more time.”
The Indy win’s been achieved. Now Force can move on to the Countdown and try to secure another title.
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Aaron Bearden Featured John Force Lucas Oil Raceway NHRA U.S. Nationals