Racing background:
Laurie earned an NHRA driver's license in the Super Comp class after graduating from Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in 2005. However, her intention wasn't to compete against daughters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney, but rather to achieve a better understanding of the intricacies of the sport and the race cars in which the girls compete.

Along the way, she acquired a new appreciation for what her husband of 25 years, drag racing icon John Force, has accomplished in his 30 seasons on the NHRA pro tour. Before John won the first of his 122 tour titles, Laurie was a member of the crew that supported his modest efforts.

Notable: Early in John Force's racing career, Laurie was instrumental in writing business contracts including the one that delivered his first corporate sponsor: Wendy's hamburgers. She also wrote event recap reports for sponsors and friends, mixed the volatile nitromethane fuel and even prepared the parachutes that slow today's Funny Cars from speeds of 330 miles per hour.

Ashley's birth in 1982 changed the Forces’ racing program. While assuming primary responsibility for raising a family, Laurie insisted that the girls attend as many races as possible when they didn't conflict with school and social activities. Among the races they always attended "as a family" were the season-opening Winternationals and the season-ending World Finals, (both in California), and the biggest drag race of all, the Labor Day U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind.