John Force Racing will make its much-anticipated return to NHRA championship drag racing at the 2021 Camping World Series season-opening NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla., the team announced today. The 21-time championship team will feature three full-time cars, driven by John Force, Robert Hight and Brittany Force.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

It’s been nearly a calendar year since John Force Racing last raced, at the Arizona Nationals last February 21-23. Months later, as the NHRA resumed competition from the Coronavirus pandemic, the team chose to sit our the remainder of the season; that decision snapped a 33-year win streak for Force and his team of drivers.

Sixteen-time world champion Force will pilot his PEAK/BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, with son-in-law Danny Hood serving as lead crew chief, and Tim Fabrisi, Force’s long-time car chief, moving up to assistant.

“Thank you to all of our sponsors and fans for sticking by us. I really realized how much I love this sport and I appreciate the chance to get back into my PEAK / BlueDEF Chevrolet,” said owner and CEO John Force. “We’re excited to be back racing and to have all of our sponsors with us. I’m looking forward to working with Camping World and can’t wait to see where the sport goes with them on board.”

Hight, President of John Force Racing and a three-time Funny Car world champion, will continue to drive the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS with crew chiefs Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham calling the shots.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to going rounds and winning races with this Auto Club team,” said Hight. “I know Jimmy [Prock] and Chris [Cunningham] and all our Auto Club guys are excited and ready to get going. I’m happy to be continuing John Force Racing’s over 20-year partnership with AAA and ultimately going after another championship.”

Monster Energy and Flav-R-Pac will split the season as primary partners on Brittany Force’s national record holding Top Fuel dragster, led by crew chiefs David Grubnic and Mac Savage.

“I can’t wait to get back to the racetrack with my Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team,” said Brittany Force. “We’ll be chasing down our first win of the season right out of the gate. This year I’m really looking forward to racing in Seattle with Frank Tiegs and Flav-R-Pac as the title sponsor.”

John Force Racing did not address the status of Austin Prock, who was beginning his sophomore season in Top Fuel when the pandemic arrived. Prock’s sponsors, Montana Brand Rocky Mountain Twist, were both backers of his dirt-track midget appearance at last month’s Chili Bowl, and Prock has, throughout the pandemic via his social media accounts, discussed his excitement about returning to the seat of his dragster. Dragzine reached out to John Force Racing for comment and messages were not immediately returned.

John Force Racing is returning its full roster of sponsors, including Chevrolet, Cornwell Tools, Montana Brand, ParkerStore, Baldwin Filters, Gates Belts, Weld Racing, Simpson Race Products and Goodyear.