“I never got a penny from that”: When NHRA legend John Force candidly disclosed to Dale Jr. about the unpaid Elvis Presley book

Following the horrific crash at Memphis Motorsports Park in 1992, John Force authored the book, 'I saw Elvis at a Thousand Feet,' three years later. However, Force once revealed to Dale Earnhardt Jr. he didn't get a single penny for his work.

Force, a now-75-year-old American NHRA racer, is considered one the greatest dragsters of all time. In 2019, the racer hopped on the Dale Jr. Download podcast and shared about not getting paid for the book he authored in the 90s.

Per X (formerly Twitter), Force told Earnhardt Jr. how the book came about after his car crashed and burned in Memphis.

"I saw Elvis at a thousand feet at Memphis when I was on fire. And let me tell you something, I crawled out on my hands and knees, I thought I was dead," Force shared.

And I remember I was praying to God, like, 'Let me stand. Let me get out of this thing. I'll go back to church. I'll quit. I'll finish the Bible'... that was forty years ago, and I crawled out of there, and I stood up, my TV guy said, 'What did you see?' [...] And I went, 'I saw Elvis at a thousand [feet].'"

Force then said people made a book out of his statement but he wasn't paid.

"They made a book out of it, and I never got a penny from that."

The 16-time NHRA Funny Car championship concluded by saying he would love to meet Elvis Presley and Jesus someday. He would also love to see Dale Jr.'s father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., again.

While Force didn't get the chance to meet Elvis Presley, the driver paid tribute to the "King of Rock and Roll" on several occasions by painting Presley on his dragster.

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John Force once shared a funny bar joke about NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA drivers

On the same podcast episode, John Force responded with a hilarious answer about NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA drivers. After the Californian was asked what the three would do in a bar, he said it would likely end up in a fight though the IndyCar guy might give a kiss.

Force said:

"Fistfight. You ain't going to get away, especially a NASCAR guy."

He added:

"IndyCar guy... they might kiss ya [...] But they'll slug you before it's over."

The NHRA legend then shared what he noticed during an autograph session with an unnamed IndyCar driver. He said that most fans lining up for an autograph from the IndyCar driver had little umbrellas and high heels, while his line looked extremely different.

"I know them guys. They are different personalities. I had to do a show and I'm standing with my guy, and I said, 'What's wrong with this picture?' And I look over at this line and they're all lined up to get these IndyCar drivers [...] to get their autograph, and everybody in line they got little umbrellas and the girls in high heels, all I look over at my deal and I said it looks like a homeless situation," Force stated.

Today, John Force still races in the NHRA but was sidelined after a crash at Virginia Motorsports Park last June. He has been competing in the sport for over four decades and has amassed 16 Funny Car championships and 157 career victories.