- Category:
- Richest Athletes › Race Car Drivers
- Net Worth:
- $20 Million
- Birthdate:
- May 4, 1949 (75 years old)
- Birthplace:
- Bell Gardens
- Gender:
- Male
- Profession:
- Race car driver
- Nationality:
- United States of America
What is John Force's Net Worth?
John Force is an American drag racer, Funny Car driver, and car owner with a net worth of $20 million. John Force has won the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championship 16 times as a driver and 21 times as a car owner. He owns and drives for John Force Racing. His three daughters, Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney, are all drag racers, and his oldest daughter, Adria, is CFO of John Force Racing. John has earned the nickname "Brute Force," partly for his domination in winning ten straight NHRA championships. His family is known as "The First Family of Drag Racing." He and his family were featured in the A& E reality TV show Driving Force in 2006-2007.
Early Life
Force was born to parents Harold and Betty Ruth Force on May 4, 1949, in Bell Gardens, California. He had a challenging childhood as he moved between migrant farms and trailer parks and then contracted polio, which he ultimately survived. He was one of six children and played football in high school before attending Cerritos College. His interest in racing began at an early age, and by age 21, he had already started racing.
Career
In 1971, Force drove his first funny car, the Jack Chrisman-built Night Stalker Mustang. He also raced a variety of other careers throughout the beginning of his career, including a Corvette, a Monza, and an Oldsmobile Cutlass. He stuck with the Cutlass from the 1980s until the end of the 1993 season. He later switched to Ford for an extended period but ultimately returned to Chevrolet.
Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
Force was an extremely successful driver between 1987 and 1996, winning sixty-seven of the total 203 NHRA events. His success continued into the mid and late 1990s, as he dominated the field and won ten NHRA championship events from 1993 to 2002, including six straight from 1997 to 2002.
During this time, he also started building a racing team. The younger brother, Tony Pedregon, of his arch-rival Cruz Pedregon, drove his second car, and fellow racer and friend, Gary Densham, drove a third car. In 2003, Force didn't win a title for the first time since 1992. However, the timing worked out as teammate Pedregon won his first world title. Force returned to the top in 2004, winning a thirteenth world title.
In 2005, Force won five events but finished third overall in the championship standings. The following year, in 2006, he won his 14th NHRA World Funny Car Championship. The following year started poorly as he had a crash in Ennis, Texas, at the beginning of the year. However, he was able to recover and came back to win the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. In September of 2007, Force was injured in a crash, and Phil Burkart Jr. had to replace him for the rest of the 2007 season. Force's domination declined in the late 2000s, as he finished seventh overall in 2008 and ninth in 2009. However, his daughter, Ashley, finished second overall.
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
In 2010, Force celebrated 25 years with the same sponsor and 34 years in the NHRA. He started the season on a positive note, winning the season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. While he continued racing throughout the 2010s, his wins became more infrequent, although he is still considered an icon in the sport and a tough competitor. Racing has also become a family affair, as all three of his daughters have been involved and won races. In 2019, Force won his 150th race at the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals. The year was very positive for him, as he then won the U.S. Nationals.
Personal Life
Force has a wife, Laurie, and three children, Ashley, Courtney, and Brittany. The family appeared in the A& E reality show "Driving Force." In 2008, Force was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
