It’s been 29 years since John Force won his first national event at Bandimere Speedway.
But the 16-time Funny Car champion has made a lot more history at the Morrison, Colo., drag strip since that inaugural trip to the winner’s circle in 1994.
In 1998, he laid down a 301.70 mph lap and became the first Funny Car driver to top 300 mph on the mountain. In 2016, he ran the 1,000-foot track in 3.959 seconds and became the first in his category to make a three-second pass.
Over the years, Force has also collected seven more Wallys at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals, bringing his career total at Bandimere to eight — the most of any Funny Car competitor.
“I’ve been coming to Bandimere Speedway a long time. I have a lot of history here. I’ve accomplished a lot. Grown with the Bandimere family. It’s going to be an emotional weekend, saying goodbye to this place,” Force said.
His round-win record in Colorado is 74-31, which is the second-best record he has at any national NHRA event.
However, not everything went quite his way last season, as Force was defeated in the semifinals by his John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight. In fact, it’s been eight years since Force triumphed at Bandimere — his last victory was in 2015.
“Bandimere has given us a lot of really great racing, we’ll try to make that the case again this weekend. I hope this PEAK Chevy team can celebrate one last time in the winner’s circle,” Force said.
He tips his hat to the Bandimere family for “putting their life” into the facility over the last 65 years, acknowledging John Bandimere Jr. for his dedication to keeping his father’s (John Bandimere Sr.) dream alive for so long.
The July 14-16 Mile-High Nationals will mark the 43rd national NHRA event to be held at the drag strip, with the property set to be sold shortly thereafter. Like most drag racers on the tour, Force is convinced that this season won’t be the last time NHRA pays a visit to the Rocky Mountains.
“I know they’ll build another track, some place here in Colorado … They’re already talking about what they’re going to do,” Force said. “But this place, on the side of the mountain, is just unbelievable. I hate to see (Bandimere) leave. But things will be what they’ll be.”
But to claim glory at Bandimere one last time, Force will be fighting an uphill battle, as he has yet to win a national event this season.
The PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS driver has recorded one runner-up, two semifinal finishes, two quarterfinal appearances and three first-round exits this year.