Racing News on John Force and Ford Sponsorship (Non-NASCAR)

[ranbethscards]

Okay, this IS NOT NASCAR, but it is racing news... so posting it here.

First... rumors are abound that John Force intends to retire at the end of this year or 2014 and replace his funny car with a dragster. No speculation on the driver yet.

Second... Ford has announced pulling out of their NHRA sponsorship at the end of the 2014 season. What does mean? For one thing, it means... John Force, the only 15 time Funny Car Champion will be affected by this decision.

Read more on Ford's decision to pull out of NHRA sponsorship here:

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag...-away-from-nhra-pro-racing-at-the-end-of-2014

 

[Zahadum]

This will be interesting to follow.

 

[IQless1]

It seems like an odd choice to me, given how manufacturers use this as a marketing tool.

 

[Zahadum]

Agreed this is odd being that they are marketing the new Cobra Jet as basically turn key racers for the strip. So then why step back from the NHRA? Just weird.

 

[Zahadum]

Still not much out there yet other than the statement from Ford that

On Wednesday, Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing, elaborated on the decision during a Q&A interview posted on the FordRacing.com website. Allison began by stating that Ford and drag racing remain “inseparable.”“We at Ford see the two landscapes of NHRA: the Nitro Pro level and the Enthusiast/Sportsman level,” Allison said. “We are just shifting our focus and support toward the production-based Sportsman level. That point is very key since we fully intend to support our customers and Ford enthusiasts who buy and race Ford products around the world.”

Still think that is really weird when you have Ford based Funny Car programs at John Force Racing, Tasca Racing and Tim Wilkerson Racing as well as Larry Morgan Racing’s Pro Stock Mustang.Hell, Tasca even owns a Ford dealership. There has to be more behind this story to turn your back on Pro cars and focus on Sportsman cars.