Oh, how the mind races at the thoughts of what kind of PR goldmine this incident could turn out to be. Uber car owner/driver John Force and his well financed four-car team against an underfunded, underdog Tony Pedregon. If you are a sports writer or TV sports reporter and you can’t find a story in this, it’s time to turn in your press pass! You can bet that this sideshow is going to overshadow the great accomplishments of Tony Schumacher and Ashley Force Hood at the U.S. Nationals.

What they did was historical. Schumacher’s eighth win at Indy put him in a two-driver club with the great Don Garlits and Ashley Force joined Shirley Muldowney as women drivers who have won Indy driving a nitro burning race car.

But, unfortunately, no one is calling me to talk about that. Instead the guy at the grocery story saw my drag racing shirt and asked me about Force and Pedregon; the same when I got a hair cut. Suddenly people who never cared at all about anything relating to drag racing have an interest. For a guy who has spent a large part of his life wanting more people to care about drag racing, this is a remarkable time.

Where this goes from this moment, no one knows. Pedregon and Force could hold a press conference, apologize to each other, and everything might go back to what passes for normal in drag racing, but I just don’t think that will happen.

First, there is some genuine anger between the two men and their teams and, second, I don’t think John Force, who is the equal of PT Barnum, Don King or Humpy Wheeler in my book, will miss the opportunity to take advantage of the interest this feud is generating. My thought is that this feud between the Force and Pedregon camps may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to increase the general public’s awareness of drag racing and NHRA’s “Countdown to 1” program.

It was 30 years ago at the Daytona 500 when NASCAR greats Cale Yarborough, and Bobby Allison got into a fist-fight in the fourth turn after a crash that took both men out. It was broadcast live on CBS and many, including myself, believe that incident had a lot to do with the increase in public awareness and popularity that NASCAR enjoyed afterwards.

Let’s be clear about one thing, I’m completely and totally against John Force or anyone in professional drag racing taking a “dive.”  That act represents the darkest side of professional auto racing and puts into question every win at a race involving teammates with a title on the line. And I’m especially saddened to think that a guy who holds up John Wayne as a role model might even think of diving no matter what the circumstances.

I also question the motives of a driver who might have been involved in exactly what he’s accusing another racer of.  

But I know Force is a fan of the late Vince Lombardi, who is attributed to have said “Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing.”

The NHRA is eventually going to have to deal with the issue of diving and make calls based on their judgment, just as NASCAR is going to do this weekend at Richmond.

But in the meantime I believe that drag racing is being presented with a unique opportunity to gain fans and I hope those in charge will find a way to convert an ugly incident into a positive for the sport. If it worked for NASCAR, itcan do the same for drag racing.

I can’t wait for the next press release from the Bruton Smith organization, ESPN’s TV show from Charlotte and the next time Tony and  John pull to the line together. I’m betting I’m not the only fan, beat writer, or TV producer also waiting for that.