Driving Force

Having been an insider on the NHRA tour for nearly 15 years I have seen just about everything related to drag racing. The new A&E Driving Force TV show shows viewers a lot of interesting and funny behind the scenes shots and interactions with the biggest name in racing John Force. Viewers get to see the real John Force as well as his daughters. They do not pull any punches and the show moves along from on track to off track with ease.

Non-race fans will get a kick out of seeing the Forces in action. The biggest draw of the show is seeing John interact with his daughters. When he is dealing with his youngest daughter, Courtney, and some of her requests regarding dating, you can see John struggling like every dad does. John is also trying to get the girls to take on more responsibility with their racing careers and he gets frustrated when they take a different route than one he would have taken. You can see the similarities but this also leads to some classic meltdowns.

If you are a parent, you get this show. The things John Force says are the things real parents say to their kids, and yes, they do sound that dumb! As a parent you are always hearing yourself and thinking 'Oh God, did I just SAY that??" In other words, it isn't scripted to make him sound all wise and knowing.

And the girls? In the real world that is exactly how teenage girls act, they aren't going to let anything out or let anyone in. And they are spoiled, and that is a real concern for all of us parents who have let our children have way too much, too soon.

So it's real. And it's funny.

My only complaint, more racing!

In an entertainment world that bombards viewers with endless violence and smut, "Driving Force" is a welcome and hilarious distraction. We get to follow the most legendary drag racer, John Force as he attempts to bond with his three racing daughters after missing out on a lot of things in their life in pursuit of his championships and tries to patch things up with his estranged wife Laurie. John Force may come off as a hot head and his daughters may seem like typical spoiled girls but no family is perfect and people like to see dysfunction. Plus that is only one side to the family being shown. If the Force family was presented like Ward and June Cleaver or Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, this show would have been yanked after the first episode. Hopefully this show will bring publicity to NHRA and will show viewers that the world of drag racing is more than racing a nitro fueled funny car or dragster down a quarter mile at 300+ mph and signing autographs. It is a business and a lot of hard work as the Force family proves while trying to make their mark and come together as a legendary racing family.