Is Chevrolet Returning To Funny Car With John Force In 2015?

With the clock quickly winding down to the start of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, many are beginning to wonder what news, if any, is forthcoming out of the John Force Racing camp in regards to sponsorship of Force’s Funny Car and daughter Brittany’s Top Fuel dragster, as well as manufacturer alignment, in the wake of Ford and Castrol’s departure. In a note sent by the JFR brass this morning, a major sponsorship announcement is expected to come on Thursday afternoon, with sponsor executives and even NHRA President Tom Compton expected to be in attendance.

Ranking high on Force’s priority list certainly has to be replacing Ford as the manufacturer of the Funny Car bodies of his, daughter Courtney’s, and son-in-law Robert Hight’s Funny Cars for the new year. Not doing so would force his team to shoulder all development and manufacturing costs, while also flying the colors of a brand not financially supporting his operation. And that simply isn’t John Force.

In the latter part of 2014, Force made public comments that whatever brand he ran in the future, it would absolutely be “American-made”, and Dragzine heard from sources at the PRI Show in Indianapolis last month that Force’s camp had, at the very least, had some negotiations with Chevrolet about pursuing a return to Funny Car in an official capacity.

Coincidentally (or perhaps not-so-coincidentally), the folks at Five Star Race Car Bodies were busy at Indy unveiling their all-new Chevrolet Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car body that, according to representatives on hand, could be adapted for use on nitro Funny Cars.

Just last May, Chevrolet returned as the official vehicle of the NHRA, expanding their involvement beyond the longtime sponsorship of the U.S. Nationals and their support in the Pro Stock ranks. Taking that into account, it certainly isn’t a long-shot that GM would throw their hats into the Funny Car ring in a big way with easily the most visible and marketable team in drag racing.

We’ll have coverage here on Dragzine of tomorrow’s announcement and future developments, so keep it tuned right here for the latest news.