Force nominated for Best Driver ESPY award

Reigning NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ John Force is among the nominees for this year's ESPY awards, vying with six others in the Best Driver category. The winner will be announced during a live ESPN live telecast will be staged at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, July 10, 2002 at 9 p.m. ET.

Force, an 11-time NHRA champion and winner of 100 NHRA national events, will face competition from Formula 1 kingpin Michael Schumacher, three-time ESPY-winning NASCAR star Jeff Gordon, 2001 Busch Grand National series Kevin Harvick, 2001 CART champion Gil de Ferran, 2001 and 2002 Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, and 2001 IRL 2001 champion Sam Hornish

The ESPY Awards – for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly – set the stage for the sports world to celebrate the year's achievements, relive the memorable moments and salute the best performers and performances. The ESPN live telecast will be staged at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, July 10, 2002 at 9 p.m. ET.

The winners will be chosen by the ESPY Awards Academy, which includes Hall of Fame athletes and coaches as well as nationally recognized print and broadcast sports journalists representing every major outlet.

Other past Best Driver ESPY winners are Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Jimmy Vasser, Al Unser, Jr., and Nigel Mansell