John Force to run Jeff Gordon tribute Funny Car at Charlotte
NHRA Funny Car champion John Force is going to pay homage to another racing champ at Charlotte.
Force will drive a Jeff Gordon tribute car over the weekend while the NHRA races in NASCAR’s backyard. Gordon is retiring at the end of the season and will move into a broadcast role for Fox in 2016.
Check out the Jeff Gordon tribute @TeamChevy Camaro John Force will race this wknd pic.twitter.com/IAXLDzGt0h
— John Force Racing (@JFR_Racing) September 15, 2015
“I got the idea for the flames from Jeff telling me years ago he was a fan because I was always on fire,” Force told NHRA.com. “He was right, when I got started we were on fire from here to Australia. I always enjoyed seeing Jeff at races and award banquets. The guy was just so polite and professional but you knew he had the eye of the tiger too. You don’t win all those championships on your good looks. This special Funny Car is just a way for me, my family, my team, my sponsors, NHRA and the fans to say thank you for being a great champion and being such a great driver in NASCAR. I put as many flames as my designer Brandon (Baker) could fit on my hot rod in Jeff’s honor.”
Force’s team switched to Chevrolets after Ford dropped support of his Funny Car team in 2014. Gordon has driven a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for his entire Sprint Cup career. Force’s car looks like the paint scheme Gordon’s DuPont car had in the 2000s. Gordon previously ran a rainbow throwback scheme at Bristol earlier this year.
Force has won 16 NHRA Funny Car titles. Gordon, who qualified for the Chase, is going for his fifth Cup Series title and his first since 2001.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
