Wondering what would have happened if Bernstein had stayed in funny car longer made me think of the same thing concerning Bob Glidden's many championships and Lee Shepherd's demise. I sure would have enjoyed watching those two battle it out for a lot more years.

I bet a lot would agree with me that John used to have a better knack for interviews. More creative things just seemed to naturally come out of him. Regardless of the content, one thing that gets me is the way he always seems to feel the need to yell at the microphone. If it were someone new, you'd want to tell them to slow/calm down a little. Could there be a relation between his better interviews happening before the multi-car teams, that there's more of a sense of corporate pressure nowadays?

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The faster you drive, the further you have to walk to get back to the road.

I think the late Steve Evans helped bring John along by just lettin' him go nuts. He enjoyed those crazy interviews as much as anybody & it showed. He had a way of kinda lettin' John outta his shell so to speak.
Of course Steve helped a lot of drivers, & the whole NHRA organization, along the way as far as I'm concerned. A lot of folks wouldn't be where they are today if it weren't for him. I miss him on every show.
RIP ................."HIP"

A lot of life is about being in the right place at the right time. Chuck Yeager will tell you he broke the sound barrier because he happened to be there at the right time. There's a veritable plethora of examples of people achieving success because of timing. Conversely, there are examples of people who failed to achieve success because of timing...

I think John's championship run is a perfect example of that. Is it John's fault? No, absolutely not. Did he accomplish what he did because of his driving skills or Coil's tuning? Both. I've read this thread at various stages of its development & it's bounced around a little, but the bottom line is that regardless of "pure driving talent" no driver can win without a talented tuner & no talented tuner can win without a good driver - it's really quite simple.

They both went out on the Match Racing Circuit and raced on every surface in every condition known to mankind. Coil collected all the tuning data along the way while John gained valuable experience in the cockpit - that's teamwork @ its finest.

Does that make John over-rated? Not in my mind.

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Gordon 'Flaps' Carlon
Work the solution, not the problem.

While agreeing with you, what may make John over-rated is the expectations placed upon him because of his past. It's a different world than it was 15 years ago, and age, rules and tires have taken their toll. John's ability to compete at the level he does, is a testimonial to all the positives he represents and is worthy of respect. Is he, or his team, capable of sustaining the level of dominance they achieved over the past 15 seasons...I think not.

Personally, I'm excited with the promise Robert Hight brings to the table. He's, in my opinion, the Next Generation.

Steve Evans, Dave Mac, and Diamond P !!! Man those were the days!!!

To Dave Mac & others. I did not mean to slight anyone in my above statement. It's just that, for me at least, when we lost Steve we lost one of the truly great ones. Thank God we haven't lost you yet but unfortunately you are no longer behind the mike. That is our loss.
Dave, you & Bernie Partridge swapped places behind the mike when I attended my first National drag race in Indy 1961. Believe me it was an experience I've never forgotten in all these many years. Thank you for your great additions to my drag racing experiences. When you & Steve worked the National events together on TV there was no comparison. The new guys do a bang-up job but being an old dude, I was filled with the excitement of the old days & I guess no one nor nothing else will ever replace that.
I've been kind of melancholy lately & it helps to remember some of those great times. Not to worry about this melancholy business as it too soon passes, but thanks for listenin'. ........"HIP"

In my opinion John Force has won the races and championships he has won because of:
1. His driving
2. Coil’s wrenching
3. The crew, crewing blood, sweat and tears
4. Sponsors checkbooks
5. And good ‘ol fashion…luck

Yes, John is a great driver, but he has never , ever, ever won a race without a combination of steps #1 through #5 above ….period

Does the fact that he didn’t win until Coil came along mean anything, or that he hasn’t won a race without Coil mean anything?

ABSOLUTULY NOT……

It does mean one thing though……it says a lot about the personal and professional relationship that Force and Coil has in light of the 20 years they have raced together, especially when you consider how many racer/crew chief combinations sometimes do not even last 1 year, much less 5 years or 10 years.

So is John Force a great driver? YES
Is John Force over-rated as a driver? NO
Did John Force fall into his championships? NO

To those of you that still insist that the only reason John Force wins is solely because of his driving then let me share something with you. He is a drag racer…not a Messiah or a Prophet. He can drive a flopper like white on rice, but he can’t walk on water.

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Proud card-carrying member: ACWC (American Conservative White Christians)

I am curious how you conclude that Dave is saying that it was John's fault that he won when he did??

Did he say something untrue?

His statement was not a slam, but a statement that indicated that here was a person that did exactly what you wrote....his statement indicates that he (Force) DID take adavantage of the timing and WAS succesful at doing so.

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Proud card-carrying member: ACWC (American Conservative White Christians)

It was not my intention to say anything was anyone's fault, nor was I accusing Dave of anything. I apologize if anyone else took it that way.

I was merely pointing out that Dave was, in fact, correct - John was in the right place, with the right people at the right time. It's nobody's fault & perhaps that was the wrong word, but I think the bulk of my post speaks for itself. John took advantage while the taking was good, that's all.

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Gordon 'Flaps' Carlon
Work the solution, not the problem.

Steve Evans may have had as much to do with Force's success as Coil, Fedderly and the rest. He capitalized on the whole "loquacious one" routine,never knowing where it would go or for how long. The crowd loved it...john had Charisma and NHRA was in a slump. Couple that with Johns previous up in flames(no wins)finals, some savvy marketing skills and some old fashioned luck and NHRA was saved. Those who mentioned Big, Sox, and Jungle....they indeed are legends...but in Drag Racing period more so than specifically NHRA. I watched them all as match racers. Overrated? not IMHO....NHRA owes him. Whit put me off when he started whining at the outset of his public career...but he has enough fans that i have to guess he's probably an alright guy...just misunderstood.

Owes him what?

You saying that had there not been John Force, the NHRA and drag racing would have faded away to nothing but memories?

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Proud card-carrying member: ACWC (American Conservative White Christians)

This thread is why I pretty much could care less who wins any race (with the exception of rooting for an underdog. ). For me, when two nitro cars manage to make side-by-side passes under power, it's about the audio and visual show they provide. I'm more interested in seeing who wins if it turns into a pedalfest!

The only time I really care about how a driver acts outside of the car is when I think it's in a way that puts our sport in a bad light/gives it a bad reputation which, in my opinion, endangers the attraction of quality sponsors. That has nothing to do with "liking" or "not liking" someone.

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The faster you drive, the further you have to walk to get back to the road.

There are a few select people in every kind of sport that helped build it into what it is today..
Big Daddy, Snake, Shirley, Connie, etc.
There is only one person who was so charismatic and appealing to the non drag racing fan, the ones that our sport needed to break out of it's shell..

I would go on to say that John Force was the most important personality the NHRA has ever seen, and may ever see. He is probably the best interview in all of sports, and gets a smirk a second look from my 77 year old mother.

I agree, the NHRA OWES Force..
The NHRA is a sport that is almost impossible to sell to television, and Force is what sold it, don't even try to second guess it.
A few cared about Kenny's ultra professionalism
Some tuned in to see if Cory Mac won first round.
A few liked to see if the Ace made his way to the final..
EVERYBODY wanted to hear what Force had to say, and it didn't matter if he even qualified.

Dead on, couldnt have said it better myself

not exactly, but one never knows the coarse of any history had events not taken place. I do think they needed something badly when he showed up. like him or not Force is a tremendous marketing tool....as apparently Bazemore is becoming, to a lesser degree. As nascar moved to a more youthful,badboy,in your face style of driver to attract fans, others may have taken note.Personally, i prefer cool guys like Head, Pawuk, Scelzi, and Buff.