NickHolt Posted November 20, 2010 Report Share Posted November 20, 2010 JOHN FORCE HONORED WITH SPIRIT OF FORD AWARD Homestead, Florida (November 20, 2010) - John Force, who captured his record 15th NHRA Funny Car Championship with a come-from-behind victory last weekend in Pomona, CA, was presented the prestigious Spirit of Ford Award in a surprise ceremony here today at Ford Championship Weekend in the Homestead-Miami Speedway media center. The Spirit of Ford Award is the highest honor Ford Motor Company bestows for lifetime achievement in auto racing, on and off the race track. Force becomes the 24th recipient, joining an international list of honorees from all forms of racing and racing media. He was given his award in a surprise presentation today by Edsel B. Ford II, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford and a member of the company's board of directors. "Legend is a word often used in sports," said Ford. "But there truly are legends in auto racing and John Force is one of them. "We decided to present this award to John not just because of his record on the track - which is Hall of Fame worthy - but also what he has done off the track to help move forward the sport of drag racing." Force, who came back from career-threatening injuries suffered in a crash in Dallas in 2007, captured his record 15th NHRA Funny Car title this past weekend in Pomona, coming from behind to win the series' final two races. He has a record 15 personal championships, a record 132 victories, and has led his team to 17 championships in the last 21 years, a record unmatched in any form of sport. Following the testing death of his teammate Eric Medlen in March 2007, Force turned his grief into something positive for the sport, leading the way with Ford Motor Company engineers into designing a safer cockpit for Nitro cars, a design credited with possibly saving his life in his own crash later that year. The effort was named "The Eric Medlen Project," in honor of his fallen teammate. He and Ford have continued to develop a safer and strong chassis for the sport, and his championship this year confirmed the competitiveness of the design. "John has tirelessly promoted the sport of motor racing far and wide, with his entertaining stories and his friendship with racers from all forms of the sport," said Ford. "It's because of what he has done, and the way he has honored the sport, his fellow competitors, and the fans, that he is truly deserving of the Spirit of Ford." Spirit of Ford Awards Winners Bill Stroppe, 1988 Bob Glidden, 1989 Chris Economaki, 1990 Richard Petty, 1992 Bob Bondurant, 1993 Mario Andretti, 1994 Jackie Stewart, 1994 Bud Moore, 1995 Parnelli Jones, 1996 Jim Clark, 1997 Phil Hill, 1998 Stirling Moss, 1998 Bill France, Sr., 1998 Bill France Jr. 1998 Junie Donlavey, Jr., 1999 Glen Wood, 1999 Leonard Wood, 1999 Dan Gurney, 1999 Denise McCluggage, 2000 Bill Elliott, 2000 Carroll Shelby, 2001 Wally Parks, 2001 Ned Jarrett, 2003 Mose Nowland, 2005 Jack Roush , 2006 John Force, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer61 Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Now thats an "A-List". Congrats Mr. Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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