Force vs Pedregon at NHRA Carolinas Nationals?

In case you missed it over the weekend, Robert Hight beat John Force in the semifinals of the NHRA US Nationals, putting Hight's car in the final spot for the 10 car Funny Car Countdown to 1, and knocking Cruz Pedregon's car out in the process. Immediately after the race, Cruz's brother, Tony Pedregon, accused Force of intentionally losing to Hight, whose car Force owns, to get Hight into to the Countdown. The two men argued on the track and nearly came to blows. Now, the fight may be coming to its logical conclusion: Speedway Motorsports(SMI) President Marcus Smith is offering $20,000 to the winner of a single race grudge match between the two drivers, to be held at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals on September 18. But will it happen?

John Force and the Pedregon brothers are some of NHRA's biggest names. Since 1990, Force and the Pedregons have won every NHRA Funny Car season championship except 2005, which was won by Gary Scelzi. Of that 18 championships, Force has won 14, with the Pedregons taking two each. Force doesn't need the money or the publicity from this race. Tony owns his own car, and while he seems to be doing well for himself this season on the surface, in this economy you never know what could be going on financially behind the scenes. Still, I don't think he really needs the money or publicity, either. And while John Force has been known to let his pride get in the way sometimes, he is also an excellent businessman, and I can't see him putting his car through a race simply to prove a point. SMI, however, may be in need of some help.

In case you don't know, SMI is a motorsports promoter based in Concord, NC. They own tracks raced on by NASCAR and NHRA throughout the US. With the NASCAR boom of the last decade, they did wonderfully for themselves, and can boast "the highest average number of seats per speedway in the motorsports industry." But along with the economy, their stock prices have been steadily falling since a high of over $40 in May of 2007. In early August, it was announced Lowe's would not be renewing its sponsorship of Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is owned by SMI. Coincidentally, zMax Dragway at Lowe's Motor Speedway is the site of the Carolinas Nationals. Just by announcing the possibility of this race, Marcus Smith has brought much needed publicity to himself, SMI, NHRA, the Carolinas Nationals, and Lowe's Motor Speedway.

So could this race actually happen? Sure. As I already stated, neither man needs the publicity, but Force has never shied away from it either. Another thing neither man shies away from is charity. Give the $20,000 to the charity of the winners choice, and you could have a deal. And maybe don't make it a drag race. Force is the type to never turn down a chance to win something. Then again, both drivers could decide to just settle things in NHRA competition. Either way, expect sparks between the two for some time to come.