Wheeling her Funny Car off the finish line Sunday, Courtney Force learned she made history by seeing the cheers of the person joining her in the NHRA record book.
"Erica (Enders) was the first person I saw clapping and giving a thumbs up," Force said. "That was when I realized I really did get the win. I was hoping I could make history with her."
Enders (Pro Stock) and Force won their respective divisions in the NHRA Northwest Nationals, marking the first time in the 61-year history of NHRA drag racing that two women won at the same national event.
Enders, who became the first woman to win in Pro Stock last month, waited at the end of the Pacific Raceways drag strip with the hope of seeing Force's first triumph.
The daughter of 15-time Funny Car champion John Force out-dragged defending series champion Matt Hagan in the final.
"Definitely cool for our sport and for Courtney," Enders said. "I totally root for the girls; there's no reason we can't compete successfully at this level. We all say the same thing: 'When you put your helmet on, it doesn't matter.' "
Force, 24, joined her sister Ashley and Melanie Troxel as women to win in Funny Car and carried on a proud family tradition. Ashley, a four-time winner who has been on maternity leave from driving since last year, had balloons and flowers waiting when her younger sister returned home to Yorba Linda, Calif.
The reaction from the owner of the John Force Racing Ford wasn't so understated. John Force went into histrionics while watching Courtney's win from the starting line. She said her father's enthusiasm hadn't waned three days later.
"I think he's still been in shock," she said. "He keeps calling like it just happened two minutes ago saying, 'You did it!' He's been calling nonstop, telling me how proud he is."
Force laughed while watching a replay of the celebration Tuesday and keeping one eye on her new trophy sitting on the kitchen counter. "I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure it was there, and the ESPN (broadcast) show wasn't going to have a different ending," said Force, who slept with the hardware Sunday night.
The self-described tomboy of four sisters, was drawn to drag racing at 7 when she saw her father flip in a fiery crash.
"That was probably the moment where I was like, 'This is something I want to do, even though it is a dangerous sport,'" she said. "I knew for a fact I was going to be a race car driver. I didn't see my dad a lot as a kid; he was traveling so much. But that was the moment I knew if I went into drag racing, I'd be able to see my dad all the time. Now that I'm racing with him, I see him way more than I could ask."
She might have bragging rights on him after her rookie season.
She is ranked sixth in points — three spots ahead of her father — with two races remaining before the six-race Countdown to the Championship begins Sept. 16 at zMax Dragway. Through she hasn't clinched a spot in the 10-driver title playoff, Force has a lead of more than 100 points on 11th and is a solid bet to earn a chance at becoming the first female champion in Funny Car. (Enders already has qualified for this year's Countdown in Pro Stock).
The focus on her gender doesn't bother Force, who said it's warranted given motor sports traditionally have been male-dominated. Sunday's milestone, she said, was "definitely huge. Only more and more females will start competing and beating up on the boys a little bit."
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