LAS VEGAS — On Saturday, daughter Courtney Force helped her 16-time National Hot Rod Association champion father John Force make his debut on Twitter.
A day later, father outran daughter in a close second-round race to advance in the Funny Car competition at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The two most prominent members of the Force racing family ran head-to-head for the 17th time, with John scoring his 10th win.
Courtney perhaps was exhausted from carrying her social-media-challenged father through his Twitter baptism Saturday. By mid-afternoon Sunday, Force’s Twitter follower count had passed 13,000 and included responses from NASCAR notables Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chip Ganassi.
“It’s definitely been fun trying to teach him to do Twitter,” Courtney said. “It makes me a little nervous. Him, too. He types slowly with one finger. He just got an iPhone. He says, ‘What if I say something wrong? I can’t take it back?’ No, you can’t. It’s a little late at that point.
“Then, I have to race him.”
PHOTOS: Behind the wheel with Courtney Force
John’s ET was 3.991, Courtney’s 3.996. They both crossed 320 miles per hour, but John was an eyelash ahead.
“I can’t get mad at him when he beats me like that,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun racing with him. He got me on that one, but there will be plenty more.”
John Force is the overlord of a team that includes his Chevrolet and Funny Cars raced by Courtney Force and Robert Hight (John’s former son-in-law) and a Top Fuel entry driven by Brittany, another Force daughter.
Members of the team and the Force family say Courtney is the Force child most like her father, so when they race each other it’s similar styles in opposition.
“Courtney and Dad are very much alike,” Brittany said. “They bump heads. You can see it in their eyes. It’s game on. ‘I’m taking you down.’ I’ve seen it to where, whoa, I’m going to step out of the room.”
Behind the wheel with Brittany Force
John, who lost in the third round Sunday to eventual Funny Car winner Alexis DeJoria, said there is no “give” on either side when he and Courtney are round opponents.
“She wants to beat me all the time,” he said. “That’s what she lives for. She doesn’t worry that I’m her dad and I’m older and I’m fighting to stay in the game. And that’s how she should be.
“I was a little different today. I really went after it. But then she’s whipped me so many times. I’m very proud of her to watch her run like that.”
That was the easy part. Recounting it on Twitter? That might be harder.
Follow Hembree on Twitter @mikehembree
Behind the wheel with John Force
