It's official, Castrol out at JFR after 2014 (1 Viewer)

[Bullard Anderson]

Just thinking: I doubt any PRO driver or team owner whose budget is in the red all yr is crying a river for JFR. They had a great run. They'll find funding.

 

[mick]

sincerely hope john can find funding to keep his current 4 car operation alive;
if he does that will say more about nhra than JFR alone.
if he keeps 4 teams on the road with less budget i will still be impressed, IMO
this entertainment endeavor called NHRA is only worth so much; same sentiments
for the future of DSR, Kalitta, Al anabi, Lucas Oil, etc......
watching 'broken heel boy' is just as entertaining as watching john force,
there will always be somebody waiting to fill a bigger pair of shoes.
the vandergriff and torrence operations are perfect examples.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Dude your Obsession with JF is starting to sound Stalkish, Yes JF has won a lot of Championships, does he deserve 3 times as much airtime as any other driver out there...No!

King, what is the main river that runs thru Africa? Answer: DE-NILE! You can spin this story any way you like, but it still ain't the truth.

 

[Joker]

I am sad to see Castrol go, it will be weird seeing John in another sponsored vehicle. Same as when Budweiser left Bernstein. But for the people saying stop supporting them bc of it, thats just stupid. I never understood the reasoning behind that.

As for what Mark said, I actually agree. I think bc of todays age of marketing, tv, internet, their tv show, espn, etc Force is 1000% more known to the world than Big Daddy, the Snake, or her. That doesnt mean he's the best to ever live or drive (though he's in the argument) just he's the most recognized around the world.

And as for Ford and Castrol leaving bc of Courtney, this was all in the works way before Courntey's ESPN the Mag issue.

 

[Nunz]

Why the arguing over who's the biggest name, best driver, internationally known, etc.? Who cares? This is about one of the sport's biggest sponsors leaving after 29 years, and while that's a phenomenal run, nothing lasts forever. The job at hand for JFR is to secure more partners and funding, which is a never ending task in motorsports, and the job at hand for the NHRA is to get to work on cost containment, marketing, and creating a better product to offer. That's as simple as it is, IMO.

 

[rckymtn3]

Not for nothin'

But I've noticed a few people that get bent out of shape when a thread, a discussion, veers off topic (in their opinion).

To me it's quite natural.

John Force to Most Famous to Name Recognition to Big Daddy is hardly a stretch.

If we were all bench racing in someone's garage, the person that kept saying "Stay on topic!" would annoy me in record elapsed time. Perhaps I'm alone on that thought.

Just a thought.

And to satisfy some people's criteria, I'll say I used to be a huge Force fan, now I respect his accomplishments but am a fan of others. His shtick has simply worn thin for me.

 

[Paul]

Big Daddy, the Snake, or her.

Or her, ha ha. I am waiting to see your name pop up on her Facebook fan of the week.

 

[SundayNiagara]

I am sad to see Castrol go, it will be weird seeing John in another sponsored vehicle. Same as when Budweiser left Bernstein. But for the people saying stop supporting them bc of it, thats just stupid. I never understood the reasoning behind that.

As for what Mark said, I actually agree. I think bc of todays age of marketing, tv, internet, their tv show, espn, etc Force is 1000% more known to the world than Big Daddy, the Snake, or her. That doesnt mean he's the best to ever live or drive (though he's in the argument) just he's the most recognized around the world.

And as for Ford and Castrol leaving bc of Courtney, this was all in the works way before Courntey's ESPN the Mag issue.

Common sense rises to the surface!

 

[TAFC 5 81]

Here is John Force back in his coca-cola days.

Part 1: Hidden Heros Part 1 - YouTube
Part 2: Hidden Heros Part 2 - YouTube
Part 3: Hidden Heros Part 3 - YouTube
Part 4: Hidden Heros Part 4 - YouTube
Part 5: Hidden Heros Part 5 - YouTube

The return to Coke sponsor would be interesting. I think Hawaiian Punch sponsored Roland Leong when they were owned by RJ Reynolds (during the NHRA Winston era).

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

As has been written previously, NHRA asked JFR to delay the announcement until the season ended and JFR declined, saying they wanted to get a head start on finding a new sponsor.

And what was nhra s reason for asking for the delay..

 

[yoda]

Conducting a non-scientific poll on my Facebook page- my friend base is everyone from seasoned racers and team owners to folks that have never seen a race. The name recognition results are pretty interesting- and lend credence to my belief that our heyday of public recognition ended in the 70's.

I believe that JFR will wrangle a great company, but he has a rocky road ahead of him (see the Bernstein post-Budweiser, Prudhomme post- Skoal debacles...).

 

[SundayNiagara]

And what was nhra s reason for asking for the delay..

Think about it!

 

[Joker]

Or her, ha ha. I am waiting to see your name pop up on her Facebook fan of the week.

Dont hold your breathe, you'd be better off betting $1k on Danica to win a cup race.

 

[Mooseman]

I still love this old 3 part John Force interview from way back. I hope some people take the time to read it as it is pretty neat.

Drag Racing Online- Special
Drag Racing Online- Special
Drag Racing Online- Special

 

[Pete]

I still love this old 3 part John Force interview from way back. I hope some people take the time to read it as it is pretty neat.

Drag Racing Online- Special
Drag Racing Online- Special
Drag Racing Online- Special

Thank you for the links William. Excellent reads!!

 

[George.]

I beg to differ, Mark. I wear my NHRA garb worldwide (and several here can attest to how much I spend time off of these shores), and the names that are always related to the dragster on my shirt are, in order:

Big Daddy

Snake

Shirley Cha-Cha

This is in places like Moscow. Hong Kong. Cape Town. Manila. Sao Paulo. Places not exactly known for their fan base of drag racing. Yet, someone will recognize a dragster, and the name that they associate the image with is one of the three I mentioned. John has a long road to hoe to get to their status, worldwide.

He may have charisma, but its only because NHRA and ESPN put him in a place to have it be in OUR face all the time. All of the time.

I couldn't disagree more.
I love Muhammad Ali. He is 1,000,000 times more known than Don, Don and Shirl, and instantly recognized in every possible corner of this planet, but he doesn't help sell boxing tickets anymore.

The future NHRA ticket buyers could care less, and probably never heard of Big, Snake, or Shirley. They've been out of the game for over a decade, and almost two.
If you haven't done anything lately, you simply do not exist in this generation's mind. This generation is making their own memories right now, and you can't expect our memories and history to resonate if these kids never had the chance to see them at their best.
Although they are drag racing's highest royalty, and a huge part of my favorite track memories, I'm 54 and they are long gone from the scene..

Having said that, John Force is, and BY FAR, the most important and the most recognizable face and name in drag racing.
Losing Force would destroy 99% of the NHRA's star power.

All I can say is that who lived the NHRA during the golden years were truly blessed.

 

[Mooseman]

Thank you for the links William. Excellent reads!!

Yeah it is a great read. People can say what they want about Force but he came from the bottom and actually made it.

 

[SundayNiagara]

I couldn't disagree more.
I love Muhammad Ali. He is 1,000,000 times more known than Don, Don and Shirl, and instantly recognized in every possible corner of this planet, but he doesn't help sell boxing tickets anymore.

The future NHRA ticket buyers could care less, and probably never heard of Big, Snake, or Shirley. They've been out of the game for over a decade, and almost two.
If you haven't done anything lately, you simply do not exist in this generation's mind. This generation is making their own memories right now, and you can't expect our memories and history to resonate if these kids never had the chance to see them at their best.
Although they are drag racing's highest royalty, and a huge part of my favorite track memories, I'm 54 and they are long gone from the scene..

Having said that, John Force is, and BY FAR, the most important and the most recognizable face and name in drag racing.
Losing Force would destroy 99% of the NHRA's star power.

All I can say is that who lived the NHRA during the golden years were truly blessed.

Post of the year candidate!

 

[yoda]

I couldn't disagree more.
I love Muhammad Ali. He is 1,000,000 times more known than Don, Don and Shirl, and instantly recognized in every possible corner of this planet, but he doesn't help sell boxing tickets anymore.

The future NHRA ticket buyers could care less, and probably never heard of Big, Snake, or Shirley. They've been out of the game for over a decade, and almost two.
If you haven't done anything lately, you simply do not exist in this generation's mind. This generation is making their own memories right now, and you can't expect our memories and history to resonate if these kids never had the chance to see them at their best.
Although they are drag racing's highest royalty, and a huge part of my favorite track memories, I'm 54 and they are long gone from the scene..

Having said that, John Force is, and BY FAR, the most important and the most recognizable face and name in drag racing.
Losing Force would destroy 99% of the NHRA's star power.

All I can say is that who lived the NHRA during the golden years were truly blessed.

Post of the year candidate!

^^^Or, what is wrong with today's society...

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

We have been losing stars since the sport started. ( Snake - Mongoose - Grump - Glidden - K. Bernstien - Scelzi , to name but a few.)

Not to worry, When ever John Force leaves the sport, the sport WILL go on.