Laurie Force of John Force Racing was honored with the Pat Garlits Memorial Award during the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Banquet. Laurie Force is the Wife of drag racing 16x champion, John Force and the Mother of Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force and Courtney Force. She has been a stale to the John Force Racing program for the last 40 years!
*Watch the video above – this was the tribute they played during the award ceremony*
Photo Credit: Lucas Oil
“In the early days Laurie wrote my first contracts, mixed fuel and backed the race car up.,” stated John Force during the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Ceremony, “She was with me from the beginning and there is no doubt I would not be where I am today without the support and love of Laurie.
The Pat Garlits Memorial Award is in honor of Don “Big Daddy” Garlits’s late wife the Pat Garlits. The award was first presented in 2014 to Barbara Hamilton who was the first woman licensed by NHRA to drive supercharged cars in 1964. Pat Garlits was laid to rest in February of 2014. She was married “Big Daddy” for over 60 years.
