John Force: The Straight Story of Drag Racing's 300-mph Superstar [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Updated picture biog of 'Funny car' drag racing legend John Force, one of the real charectares of American motorsports. Full of anecdotes and tales of tough-upbringing, rags-to-riches dedication and graft, this is an amusing and engaging tale of a 300 mph superstar. --Autosport, June, 2009--Arneson's 'Straight Story' (nice pun) is also 'straight' in that it's an unauthorized biography. His research is meticulous and the resultis a story that is gritty and real - not sugar coated like many 'authorized' biographies are. 'John Force' begins with a poignant episode -- John's dad is dipping his youngest son into a painfully hot bath, a treatment for the polio John encountered shortly after he learned to walk. This episode sets the tone for Force's fortitude, a toughness that carried him through an itinerant trailer park childhood. In the spring and summer, the Force family lived on a Northern California Indian Reservation as John's dad worked in the logging industry. (Ironic that John, with his Native American bloodline would later drive a wild Mustang to fame and fortune.) John's dad, Harold was a tough taskmaster. He was a long distance trucker whose 'tough love' reminded me so much of Ralph Earnhardt's relationship with his son, Dale. Harold once threw John from a pier and sawed his surfboard in two to 'get his mind right.' But John loved his dad, and vice versa. Force says his favorite food is 'bologna sandwiches without the bologna. Just the mustard. You know why? Because when I sat down with Dad, he would reach over and wipe a little mustard off my chin and tell me he loved me; that's all I needed.' John loved cars, football and girls in high school. His '54 Chevy was a six cylinder, far from the 8,000 horsepower Funny Cars he would later drive, but it was his sanctuary away from the crowded trailer. 'I'd go out and sleep in it at night just because there was more room in it.' Force's football career was forgettable but taught him a valuable lesson.. 'I played quarterback in high school and never won a game. I was 0-29 in three years, but I never gave up. That's why I never gave up on racing.'John married at 19, drove truck like his dad, and had a child when he was 20. But he never gave up on his dream of being a drag racer. He drove marginal equipment. At the legendary Lion's Drag Strip, starter Larry Sutton said, 'He was the worst driver in the history of the sport. I went to the NHRA to get him banned because I was afraid he'd kill himself. He was an accident waiting to happen.' John's brother, Walker said, 'He doesn't GET heart attacks. He GIVES heart attacks. But he never, ever gives up.' Gary Densham, who later drove for Force, said, 'I figured he had no chance of ever making it.' Force had a crew of misfits, one of whom Densham said, 'didn't know much more than how to operate a rag.' How did this 'accident waiting to happen' hire legendary crew chiefs Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly and become the most dominant drag racing force of all time?It's all here in Arneson's book. Erik has the rare talent of integrating quotes, facts, and statistics from multiple sources. He mines nuggets of poignant or humorous incidents from his many interviews of those close to Force and blends them in such a way that the biography reads like a page turning work of Stephen King fiction. What Force gems await the reader? 'We're going to make a movie about me. 'Force Gump.' Starts out with me as a little kid with polio. I want Kurt Russell to play me.' 'You can't win every race. You learn how to lose (and) you'll be a real winner. I had ten years of losing, every week. I never came here to win. I came here because I loved it.' 'I made a career of letting other guys get their first win against me.' 'I embellish everything. But one thing that's factis my win-loss record.' 'Drag racing's like sex. It only takes five seconds.' --bang shift dot com

This revised and updated photo biography by veteran race reporter Eric Arenson covers the rags-to-riches story of John Force's rise form penniless racer to Funny car superstar, a multi-team effort that includes his high-profile daughter Ashley ( the 2004 Driver of the Year and Roookie of the Year). Force's is the story of a career built on sheer will and determination - the tale of a racer who, with unstoppable drive, guts and confidence, overcame amatuer equipment and little backing to become the best. Four stars. --American Car World, October, 2009

If you are a drag racing fan who thinks they know the story of John Force, you need this book to fill in the gaps in your knowledge and really get the whole story behind a guy who can lay claim to the title of 'greatest professional drag racer of all time.' - Brian --bang shift dot com

This revised and updated biography by veteran race reporter Erik Arneson covers the rags-to-riches story of John Force and his rise from a penniless racer to the star of NHRA. The story of a career built on will and determination, guts, and unstoppable drive that combined with crew chief Austin Coil to propel an unknown racer into the spotlight, and victory after victory. Following Force's life and career from his start with no backing to his stratospheric success, this updated biography contains new photos of Force, of dramatic racing action, and takes the story of this seemingly unstoppable driver up to date.