Graham Rahal's NHRA partnership with father-in-law John Force strikes gold with milestone win in family's presence

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and NHRA legend father-in-law John Force reaped the first benefits of their latest partnership on Sunday, March 30. A few days ago, the duo expanded their relationship into the professional racing sphere. Graham Rahal Performance became the primary sponsor for John Force Racing's Top Fuel dragster driver and Force's daughter, Brittany Force, and Funny Car driver Jack Beckman.

Rahal is married to Force's daughter, Courtney Force, a former NHRA driver who holds the record for most Funny Car wins by a woman. He, Courtney, and their two daughters, Harlan and Tinley, attended the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals on Sunday to get the first taste of GRP and JFR's partnership.

Beckman, the driver of JFR's 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, created history by earning his 38th career win and giving JFR its 300th Funny Car win. Rahal reacted to the victory by sharing a picture with his GRP-sponsored car in the background on his Instagram story, writing:

"Great to see Jack pickup win #300 for @jfr_racing today, even cooler to see our @grahamrahalperformance logo haulin to victory lane!"

Screengrab of Graham Rahal's Instagram story (@grahamrahal)

Beckman was as excited about the win that put him number one in the Funny Car standings. The 2012 NHRA Funny Car champion said (via NHRA):

"It’s pretty cool when they hand you a trophy, your car still intact, and get John Force Racing its 300th Funny car win."

Graham Rahal's professional partnership with his father-in-law couldn't have gotten a better start. Their next stop will be the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from April 11 to 13.

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How a merger of racing's two greatest families 'intrigued' Graham Rahal and John Force

John Force with daughter Courtney Force at NHRA's Toyota Nationals - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal's father, Bobby, is an IndyCar legend. With three championships and the 1986 Indy 500 victory, he is one of the greatest drivers the American open-wheel series has seen. He is the co-owner of the IndyCar team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, for which Rahal drives.

Rahal married into another racing family created by John Force, a 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, whose retired daughters, Courtney and Ashley, hold the top two spots in the list of most Funny Car wins by female drivers. Brittany continues to compete as a two-time NHRA Top Fuel Dragster champion. After announcing GRP's partnership with JFR on Friday, March 27, Rahal revealed that it was his father-in-law's idea (via Autoweek):

"When John came to me and spoke of the opportunity to be present on the car, it was extremely intriguing for our company. Our expertise in service, custom fabrication, and our other offerings, align very well with the drag racing community, and we wanted to put that on display.

Courtney and I felt strongly that it was in the best interest of our company to partner with John and everyone at John Force Racing and support both my sister-in-law, Brittany as well as Jack throughout the entire year."

Force was equally excited about this new deal, saying:

"This partnership fires me up. Graham’s not just family, he’s a racer, a businessman, and someone who lives and breathes performance, just like we do. 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."

Graham Rahal's 2025 IndyCar season is off to a decent start. The No. 15 RLL Honda driver finished 12th and 11th out of 27 in the first two St. Petersburg and Thermal Club races, taking him to 13th in the championship standings.