John Force burning rubber en route to another fine showing.

This week the 10-time Winston Funny Car champ announced he would debut a third Ford Mustang F/C by the time the tour chugged into Gainesville on March 15 for the 32nd Annual Mac Tools Gatornationals. This time, however, the announcement failed to ignite a backdraft of disapproval. There are several reasons why, but mostly, Force's decision seems less outrageous now as it did in 1999 because of what has happened elsewhere in the class.

Three teams have expanded the Funny Car class this season with two-car teams. Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, Chuck Etchells and Dean Skuza have or will have a pair of fuel coupes on the case this year. Scotty Cannon may follow suit and have a second Oakley car muscling its way into the party in 2001. So, the idea of Force adding a third car only seems the next logical step for the owner who in 1996 beat everyone else to the punch when he added a second car driven by Pedregon.

The other mitigating factor that has prevented Force's approval rating from taking a hit is the story behind the story. Force was already well into the planning stages of bringing out a Top Fuel team this year until it became apparent he wouldn't have his dragsters built and trimmed as soon as he would have liked. Having already hired ex-Joe Amato crew chief Jimmy Prock, it made little sense to have a brilliant tuner like him on the staff and not put him on the clock.

"I've got Prock, I've got a new transporter, and I've got two new Steve Plueger Funny Car chassis sitting in my shop," Force said. "I've got some sponsorship opportunities sitting on my desk that I can't disregard. I figure, let's put these pieces and Jimmy out there and give them some battle experience this year. What I decide later on about the Top Fuel team and the Funny Car deal will play itself out. But I'm here to win championships and having my third car out there can't hurt."

Clearly, Force's first round loss to Whit Bazemore at the season-opening Winternationals last week was an unexpected reality check for the champ. The Castrol Mustang qualified seventh, two slots behind the Castrol Syntec Mustang of teammate Pedregon.

Force's lukewarm performance at Pomona, and the specter of several other teams stepping up with two cars, have put a different face on the Funny Car championship scenario, and Force knows it.

"Bottom line: I can't assume that the championship is mine just because I've got the best team, best cars, best tuners and all that," he said. "There are too many variables out there and too many guys -- Capps, Bazemore, Cannon, that Johnson kid -- that are hungry and young and well-financed. I can't get sidetracked."

With massive renovations underway at Force's Yorba Linda, Calif., headquarters and a new hotel being constructed on his property across the street from the shop, plus plans to explore the opening a restaurant, you might say he already has spread himself too thin. But he's been accused of that before while on his way to 10 championships in 11 years.

He wants very badly to reach two more personal milestones in his remarkable racing career that are both within distance in 2001: 100 national event wins (he now has 92) and an 11th championship, which would be an all-time high in professional drag racing.

Whether or not his frenetic schedule and increased demands on his time interfere with those goals is debatable. But the fact remains, Force has managed to win all but one Funny Car title since the other George Bush was in the White House. Only the terminally naïve would think he's not placing himself in a position to win the next one.