There are very few off days and Courtney Force and husband Graham Rahal often are on airplanes heading in opposite directions.

But it’s a lifestyle that Force, the current Funny Car points leader in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and Rahal, fourth in the Verizon IndyCar Series standings, have learned to embrace since getting married in 2015.

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“I can’t really tell you our next off weekend together; I have no idea,’’ said Force, who races for her legendary father at John Force Racing. “It’s constant (racing), but I think we’re both fortunate that we both understand each other’s careers and enjoy going to races, obviously.

“Any time I have an off weekend I’m at one of his races supporting him and vice versa. That’s kind of what you have to do to make it work and make it so we can actually see each other. We have a lot of air miles. We’re traveling constantly and we’re both always at a race track.’’

Force and Rahal split time between California and Indiana and are currently in Indiana getting ready for Rahal’s biggest race of the year, the Indianapolis 500 on May 27. Next up for Force is a trip to Topeka for next week’s Menards NHRA Nationals May 18-20 at Heartland Motorsports Park.

“Now that it’s the month of May we’re kind of based out here (in Indiana) more, obviously getting him ready for his race but a lot of my races are out this way, too,’’ Force said in a phone interview. “It kind of makes the travel a little bit easier rather than coming from California.’’

Force is coming off her second win of the season at Atlanta. Rahal, a six-time IndyCar race winner, was on hand to cheer her on.

“It was amazing,’’ she said. “It was really great having him and his support for me out there and being able to celebrate with him in the winner’s circle, along with both my sisters and my dad.

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“It was a lot of fun, but I told him that now the pressure’s on for him to go out there and make it happen in Indy.’’

Trying to juggle two high-pressure careers is obviously a challenge, but Force said there are advantages to her and Rahal both being racers.

“I think it’s great because we both have been through the highs and the lows of racing,’’ she said. “We both understand it and we both take it very seriously. I don’t think everyone understands what it feels like to be in that driver’s seat and the pressures and being pushed in different directions and everything you put on yourself to perform your best.

“But luckily we both understand it and are always trying to be supportive of each other through the highs and the lows and try to motivate each other to do our best job driving. I love having him out there and I think it’s the same for him and we try to be positive and motivating for each other because it’s a long season.’’

Force and the rest of her Mello Yello Series counterparts will run a pair of qualifying sessions on May 18 and 19 before eliminations on Sunday, May 20.

Force currently holds an eight-point lead over Jack Beckman in the Funny Car standings. Steve Torrence is 120 points ahead of Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Vincent Nobile is 48 points in front of Bo Butner in Pro Stock.

NASCAR HEADED TO KANSAS SPEEDWAY

NASCAR will make its spring appearance at Kansas Speedway on Friday and Saturday, with the Camping World Truck Series’ 37 Kind Days 250 set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and the Monster Energy Cup Series’ KC Masterpiece 400 set for 7 p.m. Saturday.

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Emporia native Clint Bowyer is fourth in the Cup standings, picking up a win earlier in the year at Martinsville and finishing second last weekend at Dover.

The first on-track activity is a 10:35 a.m. trucks practice Friday, followed by an 11:35 a.m. Cup practice session. Cup qualifying is set for 5:45 p.m. Friday, prior to the trucks race.

SCCA HALL OF FAME INDUCTS STREMMING, PEARSON

The Sports Car Club of America, based in Topeka, recently inducted David Stremming and Loren Pearson into its Hall of Fame, recognizing the two for their significant impact on the growth and expansion of the Solo National Championships.

In 1994 the SCCA was looking for a new home for the Solo Nationals to draw more participants for the annual event. Meetings with Stremming, president of the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, and Col. Pearson, local SCCA representative, resulted in an 11-year partnership between the MTAA and SCCA that is credited with changing the future of the Solo Nationals in profound ways.

The Solo Nationals, which had been around since the early ’70s, saw an increase in participants from approximately 300 to more than 1,300 during the event’s time at Topeka’s Forbes Field. The regional Solo programs have now grown to 1,100 events per year and more than 70,000 participants. More than 90 percent of SCCA regions now run Solo events.

Stremming and Pearson were also instrumental in the Sports Car Club of America moving its corporate headquarters from Denver to Forbes Field.

“Col. Pearson and I are extremely honored and proud of this prestigious award and would like to thank the Sports Car Club of America board of directors, members and staff,” Stremming said. “None of this could have been accomplished without the full support of the MTAA board of directors, city and county officials, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, State of Kansas and local media.”

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