It got my head right to go win; that’s what you’re paid to do. I’m good. I’m young enough to race, and nobody loves it more than me, and I’m the 16-time champ.”
Though he was able to record a semifinal finish in Phoenix, for the most part, Force’s season got off to a pretty slow start. He was on the trailer after the first round in Pomona, Gainesville, Las Vegas, and Charlotte. That had him sitting outside the top 10 in points, where he remained until Topeka. After a series of second-round exits, Force broke through for his first win in Bristol. That was the start of an incredible four-race run that included runner-up finishes at the next two races, in Epping and Chicago, and two No. 1 starts.
Prior to the Western Swing, Force elected to swap crews with teammate Robert Hight, who was struggling to stay in the top 10, sending Mike Neff over to Hight and bringing Jimmy Prock over to Force. On their first outing together, Force and Prock were sidelined in round one, but one race later, in Sonoma, Force was runner-up. Force finished the regular season with just a couple more round-wins, and he entered the playoffs fourth in the points.
Force’s start to the playoffs was a little quiet with him exiting in round two in Charlotte, but he has had the hot hand ever since, advancing to the final in all four of the next events. He was the runner-up in Dallas, then recorded three straight wins, in St. Louis, Reading, and Las Vegas.
