John Force had accumulated two championships by the time the 1992 season began. The world was largely expecting a third but there was a fly in that ointment named Cruz Pedregon. It was a heavyweight prize fight of a year in funny car with Pedregon and Force trading blows and points all the way through the year. Dallas was yet another battleground with both guys fighting their way to the final round. For Force it was a final he could not lose if he wanted that third championship…and boy did he want that third championship. For young Cruz Pedregon, it was an opportunity to push his championship points lead to a near clinching situation with just one race left to go, the World Finals at Pomona. Larry Meyer was the crew chief for Pedregon and of course it was Austin Coil turning the screws for John Force.

The broadcast team you’ll watch and hear call this one was composed of Bob Frey, Steve Evans, and the recently departed Brock Yates. This race was broadcast live on TNN back in 1992 and these guys were a strong threesome. Yates seems a little uncomfortable doing the replay but Frey nails the starting line interview with Meyer and Evans was his typical self calling the race action and there was a LOT of race action.

The desperation of both men to win is on full display from the flash of the Christmas Tree on. Pedregron’s car smokes the tires immediately at the hit while Force makes it about 60 feet before his troubles start. Romping on the throttle Force’s car appears to graze the wall at about the eighth mile and Pedregon was falling further behind by the nanosecond. All of a sudden, Pedregon lays into the throttle and keeps his foot there. Despite the massive tire smoke funneling from the back of the car, the flames are up and the car is making some ground when Force’s car smashed the wall after he stabbed the throttle for the umpteenth time.

Ultimately Pedregon wins the round, flying by a (literally) unconscious John Force for the win before the stripe. Steve Evans is quick to interview Pedregon and then he realizes that there’s a situation happening at Force’s car. The camera crew descends on the car and it is then when Evans learns that Force had his lights knocked out when the car hit the wall the second time.

There have been lots of great funny car final rounds but this one stands along for its complete madness.

Hit the image below see the Pedregon VS Force battle at Dallas 1992 –