{{Short description|American NHRA drag racer}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Courtney Force | image = GoPro Grand Prix 2015 19 - Stierch.jpg | image_size = <!-- defaults to 180px unless a value is entered --> | caption = Force in 2015 | birth_name = Courtney Fallon Force | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|6|20|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Yorba Linda, California, U.S. | relatives = {{nowrap|John Force (father)}}<br />{{nowrap|Ashley Force Hood (sister)}}<br />{{nowrap|Brittany Force (sister)}}<br />Graham Rahal (husband)<br />Bobby Rahal (father-in-law)<br />Robert Hight (ex brother-in-law) | last_series = NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series | years_active = 2012-2018 | teams = John Force Racing | starts = | championships = | wins = 13 (12 FC, 1 TAD) | poles = | fastest_laps = <!-- if known --> | best_finish = <!-- if a final championship placing has been recorded --> | year = <!-- use piped link if season article exists --> | last_finish = | prev_series = <!-- previous series with line breaks --> | prev_series_years = | titles = <!-- championship titles --> | title_years = | awards = Auto Club Road to the Future Award | award_years = 2012 | updated = }} '''Courtney Fallon Force-Rahal'''<ref name="californiabirthindex.org">{{cite web |url=https://californiabirthindex.org/birth/courtney_fallon_force_born_1988_18505265 |title=Courtney Fallon Force, Born 06/20/1988 in California |publisher=CaliforniaBirthIndex.org |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref> (born June 20, 1988) is an American former drag racer who competed on the NHRA tour. She drove the Advance Auto Parts Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing. She is the youngest daughter of 16-time NHRA World Funny Car Champion John Force and his wife Laurie. She is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton having majored in Communications. On July 19, 2009, Force-Rahal won her first national event in the Top Alcohol Dragster category at the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals in Kent, Washington.<ref name="ESPBlount" /> After her sister, Ashley, announced her retirement from competitive racing in 2011, Force-Rahal became the fourth driver for John Force Racing. On July 27, 2014, Force-Rahal passed her sister for the record of most Funny Car wins by a female driver in NHRA history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/nhra/2014/07/27/courtney-force-wins-nhra-sonoma-nationals/13252775/|title=Courtney Force wins NHRA Sonoma Nationals|author=|date=27 July 2014|work=USA TODAY|accessdate=7 September 2015}}</ref>
==Drag racing career==
Force earned her NHRA competition drivers license in 2005 and her Alcohol-Fuel license in 2008.<ref name="MenStuff">{{cite web|url=http://www.menstuff.org/archives/forcec.html|title=Courtney Force|publisher=Menstuff.org|accessdate=6 March 2010}}</ref> She began racing in Super Comp before graduating to Top Alcohol Dragster (TA/D), along with her sister Brittany, in 2008. She reached the final round twice in 2009, at Seattle and Pomona, picking up the victory in Seattle.<ref name="ESPBlount">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/blog?name=blount_terry&id=4340138&_slug_=courtney-force-makes-father-proud|title=Courtney Force Continues Family Dominance|last=Blount|first=Terry|date=July 19, 2009|publisher=ESPN|access-date=6 March 2010}}</ref> Force has raced her sister Brittany on three occasions, beating her every time. She recorded a career best reaction time of .006 in the final event of 2009 at Pomona raceway.
Force's primary sponsor throughout her Super Comp career and first year of Top Alcohol Dragster was Brandsource. In 2009, Force picked up sponsorship by Sanyo, as well as Ford.
During the 2011 season, Force tested a Funny Car and earned her NHRA Funny Car license.
On January 10, 2012, it was announced that Traxxas would be the primary sponsor of Force's rookie season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhra.com/story/2012/1/10/courtney-force-traxxas-team-up-for-2012-rookie-funny-car-run/|title=NHRA Story » Courtney Force, Traxxas team up for 2012 rookie Funny Car run|author=|date=|work=nhra.com|accessdate=7 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307165143/http://www.nhra.com/story/2012/1/10/courtney-force-traxxas-team-up-for-2012-rookie-funny-car-run/|archive-date=7 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Force made her Funny Car debut at the 52nd annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. She qualified 12th with a 4.199 ET at {{convert|307.44|mph|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} In the first round of eliminations, she defeated Bob Tasca III with a pass of 4.204 seconds at {{convert|309.27|mph|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} In the second round, she lost to teammate Mike Neff despite running a career best 4.143 ET at {{convert|313.88|mph|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
During the second race of the season, the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, she took out her father in the first round.<!--In his entire FC career, he's never been eliminated in Round 1? Prove it-->
On 5 August 2012, Force won her first FC race, by defeating Matt Hagan in the final round of The Northwest Nationals, at Seattle, Washington.
To kick off the 2013 season, Force qualified in the number 1 position for the O'Reily Auto Parts Winternationals, becoming the first woman to do so.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} She would also go on to be the first female Funny Car driver to win that event, beating Ron Capps in the final.
At Kansas in 2014, Force achieved the 100th win by a female driver in NHRA by defeating Cruz Pedregon in the Funny Car final.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/nhra/2014/05/25/courtney-force-nhra-100-female-wins-topeka-kansas/9578537/|title = Courtney Force earns 100th NHRA win by female driver|website = USA Today}}</ref> alt=Courtney Force, Advance Auto Parts and Taylor Swift|thumb|Courtney Force's Advance Auto Parts Funny Car promoted Taylor Swift's new album at the 2017 NHRA Finals in Pomona, California. From 2017 to 2018, Force drove for Advance Auto Parts. At the 2017 NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, Force drove a co-branded car supported by Taylor Swift.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martinelli |first=Michelle R. |title=How Taylor Swift's face ended up on a drag racing car this weekend |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/motorsports/2017/11/12/taylor-swift-new-album-reputation-nhra-drag-racing-courtney-force-hot-rod/81848494007/ |access-date=2026-03-12 |website=For The Win |language=en-US}}</ref>
On January 24, 2019, Force announced she would stop driving, effective immediately.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.johnforceracing.com/courtney-force-stepping-away-from-driving-duties/|title=COURTNEY FORCE STEPPING AWAY FROM DRIVING DUTIES | John Force Racing Official Site|access-date=2019-01-24|archive-date=2019-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124203359/http://www.johnforceracing.com/courtney-force-stepping-away-from-driving-duties/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Television== Force was featured with her family on A&E's reality show ''Driving Force''.
==Personal life== Courtney has two older sisters, Ashley and Brittany.<ref name="ESPBlount" /> She also has an older half-sister, Adria. Force attended Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California, where she was a cheerleader.<ref name="MenStuff" /> In 2009, she participated in the Ford Fiesta movement and won the Internet's most popular agent award. In 2013, Force posed nude for ESPN's ''The Body Issue'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |title= Courtney Force shows some skin |date=July 9, 2013 |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/story/_/id/9418224/funny-car-drag-racer-courtney-force-strips-2013-body-issue-espn-magazine |access-date=June 28, 2025 |publisher=ESPN}}</ref> She is married to IndyCar racer Graham Rahal, who is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.<ref>{{cite web|author=Associated Press|url=http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/courtney-force-graham-rahal-announce-engagement-112714|title=Courtney Force, Graham Rahal announce engagement|work=Foxsports.com|date=November 27, 2014|accessdate=November 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=TBlountSports|author=Terry Blount|number=668569461343973377|date=22 November 2015|title=So happy for @courtneyforce & @GrahamRahal. Great racers, but more importantly, exceptional young adults.}}</ref> In November 2020, she gave birth to a daughter, Harlan Ann Rahal.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-06|title=Graham Rahal, Courtney Force welcome their first baby - NBC Sports|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2020/11/05/graham-rahal-courtney-force-baby-girl-harlan-ann/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=MotorSportsTalk {{!}} NBC Sports|language=en-US}}</ref> In September 2022, Courtney gave birth to Tinley Leighton Rahal and announced on her Facebook page she was stepping back from her roles at her foundation and sponsorship to be a mom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Log into Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcourtneyforcefanpage%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02kPF2YUtrVFZQQYhAc7Y7vxJKZRKiu3eEszh42tVYvSE3QjccXSCjtN6zDWVdPZRnl |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Facebook |language=en}}</ref> On October 17, 2025, she gave birth to Fallon Ruth Rahal.<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/DQA4yMxlAEb/?igsh=cnVidm54dzMzb25h</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [http://courtneyforce.com/ Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822082338/http://www.courtneyforce.com/ |date=2009-08-22 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Force, Courtney}} Category:1988 births Category:American female racing drivers Category:Female dragster drivers Category:NHRA drivers Courtney Category:Living people Category:Racing drivers from Anaheim, California Category:Sportspeople from Yorba Linda, California