Force Enjoys, Thrills Fans at Super Bowl

TAMPA January 31, 2009: 14-time Funny Car World Champion John Force never won a football game as a high school quarterback. Today he was at the epicenter of the football universe.

He did not disappoint the thousands of fans that were in Tampa to enjoy the Super Bowl XLIII festivities at the ESPN The Magazine NEXT Consumer Village. Fans began lining up 30 minutes before the scheduled autograph signing and Force gave them more than their money's worth signing autographs, posing for pictures and talking to fans' friends on cell phones.

It is always exciting to step out of the realm of what you do, like NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, and be involved in something as big as the Super Bowl. To me it was just an honor that Castrol made my Castrol Edge Ford Mustang part of this program. I was amazed at the amount of football fans that love their drag racing. The autograph line went for three hours and it was exciting. I have never been to a Super Bowl before so it was great to see all the events. I was a guy that played football but never really accomplished much on the field but today I got to talk with Jason Campbell the quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He was a nice kid. ESPN was everywhere so it was quite a deal.

"Tomorrow Castrol will run commercials during Super Bowl XLIII telecast to promote their new product Castrol Edge. In advance of the commercial John Force's newly re-painted Ford Mustang was sporting a new gold and black paint scheme. Force will race the Castrol Edge Ford Mustang for the first three races of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season. Being a part of a global product launch was humbling for the driver who has represented Castrol for the past 23 seasons and was the lone motorsports representative at the naturally pigskin obsessed event. It was nice that I could come down to Tampa. I do so many shows where there are NASCAR, Indy Car and Drag Racing teams all together but to come to a football deal and be the only motorsports guy that was cool. There were probably a lot of NASCAR guys in Tampa to watch the game but I didn't see any of them. The time that I was around the fans and the atmosphere I really wish I could have stayed for the game but at the end of the day the season starts in Los Angeles on Monday with the NHRA hauler parade. I knew if I stayed for the Super Bowl I wouldn't be back until Monday night or maybe Tuesday so I have to go back to where my job is. I did my job here for Castrol. We unveiled the new Castrol Edge Ford Mustang and talked about that exciting program."

Force will introduce the Full Throttle Drag Racing community to his Castrol Edge Ford Mustang on Wednesday at noon at Auto Club Raceway during the 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly's NHRA Winternationals pre-event press conference. Following the press conference all four John Force Racing funny car drivers will take part in the KCXX 103.9 FM Full Force Fanfest listener appreciation event. The broadcast will originate from the professional pits beside the John force Racing compound. It is a free event for the public.