The return of NASCAR on Sunday at Darlington Raceway was exactly what the country needed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (NASCAR Photo)
NASCAR led the way in returning to action amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (NASCAR Photo)

The Top-10 Stories Of 2020

John Force Racing, led by team owner and driver John Force, will not compete this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway when the NHRA returns to competition. (NHRA Photo)
John Force Racing sat out most of the NHRA season following the COVID-19 pandemic. (NHRA Photo)

NHRA FORCELESS

The National Hot Rod Ass’n struggled to find traction following the COVID-19 shutdown and when drag racing did finally return, John Force Racing was among the missing.

JFR, which fields Top Fuel dragsters for Brittany Force and Austin Prock and Funny Cars for Robert Hight and John Force, elected to sit out the abbreviated NHRA season.

“In our contracts with sponsors we have guarantees. They get social media, certain number of races, certain number of race days, activation at races and other commitments,” explained John Force. “No matter how I looked at it I couldn’t deliver on those commitments. It just wasn’t fair to them. The impact of not being able to deliver on these commitments makes sitting out the rest of the 2020 season the right thing to do.”

Ultimately, the NHRA had its own sponsorship issues with Coca-Cola (Mello Yello) terminating its contract and Camping World stepping in to fill the void.