Gone Racin��to John Force�s Cruise

John Force, champion Funny Car driver, puts on a cruise at his place, in Yorba Linda, California, on the last Wednesday of the month, all year long. It starts around 5pm and continues until 9pm, but the cruisers told us they began showing up earlier than that. A live band, �The Generation,� played �oldies� throughout the event, with Larry Beck as Master of Ceremonies. Larry was also the leader of the host club, �Hot Rods Unlimited,� which handled the traffic and did an excellent job of moving cars in and out of Force�s spacious lot. Groups of people formed around their cars to sit and reminisce about their cars and what they went through to restore them. We counted about 200 cars and perhaps 600 people, but since there was so much space to park cars, it did not seem cramped or congested. There was a warm ambience to this cruise. John Force was there this evening, signing autographs and talking to the cruisers, many of who were congratulating him on his recent victory in Seattle, which was his first of the season, and boosted him back up in the points standings.

There was an eclectic line-up of cars to admire. Fords and Chevy�s predominated, but there were some interesting, fascinating and oddballs mixed in so that no one would leave disappointed. Vendors had tents set up for displays, including �Cruisin� for a Cure,� Hot Rod music and �oldies,� car photographs, HotRodCruises.com, and some great looking barbecue sandwiches from Blake�s Place. Force opened his workshop for people to see where the race cars are stored and worked on. The museum wasn�t open this time, but when it is, it is a special treat. The gift shop was open and many of John�s artifacts were on display. Newly remodeled and greatly enlarged, this shop has just about everything from die cast models, apparel, collectibles and some great used parts, all autographed by the Champ himself. A special room upstairs was set aside for an art gallery, and on display were some of the best work of Kenny Youngblood, Rick Finn, Tom Fritz and other hot rod artists. There are no fees to enter and any car prior to 1973 is eligible for display. Call 714-254-7775 or go online at www.johnforceracing.com for more details.

Gone Racin� is at [email protected] or go to Gone Racin� website @ www.oilstick.com