NHRA’s John Force supports daughter’s nude pics in ESPN ‘Body Issue’

Legendary drag racer John Force said Wednesday he supported the decision by his drag-racing daughter, Courtney Force, to join other athletes in posing nude for this year’s edition of ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue.�

“My daughter is very proud of what she’s done, the way she looks,� John Force told reporters on a conference call.

Like her father, a record 15-time champion, the 25-year-old Courtney races 300-mph funny car dragsters in the National Hot Rod Assn.’s premier Mello Yello Series.

Driving for her father’s Yorba Linda-based team, Courtney has won two events this year, her second year in the series.

She’s among 21 athletes displaying their physiques in the magazine, and the photos include a side shot of her sitting against one of the large rear tires used in drag racing.

The always loquacious John Force, who has four daughters, acknowledged that, at first, “I’m a dad so I don’t really want to look� at the photos.

“But I have to look at the big picture,� he said. “The world has changed. We have to go to market different. As an owner, [it] got us great exposure so far.

“It’s not Playboy or those types of magazines; it’s really about an athlete,� said Force, 64.

“It’s my kid and I’m going to be proud of her as a father,� Force said. “It’s a positive note for [the] NHRA and all the sponsors and I’m going to stick by her no matter what anybody says.�

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