Graham Rahal's 'meaningful' partnership with John Force Racing excites sister-in-law Brittany Force

Graham Rahal recently stepped into the world of NHRA drag racing by partnering with his father-in-law, John Force. The IndyCar star's auto company, Graham Rahal Performance, became a sponsor for John Force Racing's Funny Car driver Jack Beckman and Top Fuel dragster champion and Force's daughter, Brittany.

Rahal is married to Force's youngest daughter Courtney, a retired NHRA driver who holds the record for most Funny Car wins by a female. His NHRA partnership began in the final week of March, reaping the first benefit immediately as Beckman won the Funny Car race at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. It gave JFR its 300th win in the category.

Ahead of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this upcoming weekend from April 11 to 13, Brittany Force spoke highly of JFR's partnership with her brother-in-law Graham Rahal's company.

"I’m excited about the partnership with GRP as a primary sponsor in Las Vegas and as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the season. Graham Rahal is my brother-in-law, so to be teamed up with family is very meaningful to me. This is a unique way to connect Indy Car with drag racing, two motorsports that are different but similar at the same time," she said via JFR's website.

Brittany is a two-time Top Fuel dragster champion and has won at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas in 2022 and Charlotte in 2016. She is the only active drag racer in her family, with both sisters Courtney and Ashley and their father, John Force, embracing retirement.

JFR unveiled the GRP-sponsored liveries for the Nationals on Tuesday, April 8. Instead of the regular blue and white, they have gone with a new all-black paint scheme.

Graham Rahal's NHRA partnership 'fires up' father-in-law John Force

Graham Rahal with wife Courtney Force and daughter at the 106th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal partnering with his father-in-law not only brings the worlds of IndyCar and NHRA closer but also brings two triumphant racing families together. Graham's father, Bobby Rahal, is a three-time IndyCar champ and the 1986 Indy 500 winner.

John Force was ecstatic after the official announcement of their partnership.

"This partnership fires me up. Graham’s not just family (married the last nine years to Force’s youngest daughter, Courtney), he’s a racer, a businessman, and someone who lives and breathes performance. What he’s building with GRP is incredible, and bringing that energy into our pits with Brittany and Jack just feels right. We’re not just putting a name on the car—we’re bringing two racing families together to push the limits on and off the track," he said via his namesake team's website.

The upcoming weekend will see both racing families in action on the track. Rahal, who drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will compete in IndyCar's 50th Long Beach Grand Prix to win the race for his wife, Courtney, who hails from Southern California. Parallelly, John Force Racing's Jack Beckman and Brittany Force will head to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Rahal's performance in the first two IndyCar races has been decent. His race pace has been much better than qualifying, earning him P12 and P11 finishes at St. Petersburg and the Thermal Club.