"He's in everyone's business": When Graham Rahal's wife Courtney Force reflected on John Force's influence over the family business

Graham Rahal, the IndyCar 2008 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg winner, is well-known in the world of motorsports. So is his wife, Courtney Force (former Drag racing driver). Racing runs in the blood of the Force family and back in 2016, Courtney took the time to dwell on her father John Force's (16-time National Hot Rod Association Drag racing champion) involvement in the family business (John Force Racing).

John Force was born on May 4, 1949, and he literally built himself from scratch. His early years were poverty-stricken but drag racing came along as an opportunity for him to make a mark in motorsports. The Drag racing driver has a staggering 157 NHRA career victories to his name.

In 2016, Courtney Force shed light on a specific side of her father and revealed how he would always talk about racing. Moreover, she also elaborated on how the whole Force family is obsessed with racing.

"Dad is always here, and he’s in everyone’s business. He’s always overprotective, but we’re in a family business, and that’s how he is all the time. Even at Christmas dinner, he doesn’t know how to not talk racing. But we’re all like that. We try to talk about something else, but we all stare at each other," Courtney had told USA Today Sports.

Despite being 75, John Force is active in the racing circuit. As mentioned earlier, he has 16 NHRA Funny Car Championships and one American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) title.

John Force wanted 'sons' instead of daughters

While Courtney Force delved into her father's racing-driven mindset in 2016, the latter also talked about his wishes in the same year. He insisted he wanted sons instead of four daughters (Courtney Force, Brittany Force, Ashley Force Hood, and Adria Hight).

John Force while talking about the same in detail back then with USA Today, added the following:

"I wanted sons. I wanted them to play football. I had Adria, and then Laurie and I had our first, Ashley. Then I began to heat up my underwear. Didn’t work. A girl. Then another. I never got to name one kid. I had boy names all ready – Axle, Spartacus, Bubba. Maybe they’ll let me name the cat we’re getting," John said (Via: USA Today)

He further went on to assert that he was surprised by his daughters' passion for racing.

"It never crossed my mind that they would be drivers. Then they start racing, and they’re good. They love it. To watch them cry when they win and say, ‘I did it, Dad,’ that’s something."

Besides Courtney, Brittany Force also earned a few accolades in the NHRA. She made her debut in 2013 and won two NHRA Top Fuel Championships (2017, 2022). She was named the NHRA Rookie of the Year for the 2013 season.