John Force was named Driver of the Year for all American motor racing in 1996.
The honor recognized Force after one of the strongest seasons in NHRA Funny Car history. He won the NHRA Funny Car championship, captured 13 of 19 events, and established himself as the dominant driver across the series. A national panel of motorsports journalists selected him for an award that traditionally had been associated with major stock-car, open-wheel and road-racing stars.
Force was the first drag racer to receive the all-American Driver of the Year honor. That distinction is separate from NHRA's own season awards, such as the Funny Car world championship, and from the AARWBA All-America Team selections. The question refers to the broad, cross-discipline driver award.
His 1996 title was his sixth Funny Car championship. Force would later build an even larger record, winning 16 NHRA Funny Car championships and becoming one of the sport's most recognizable figures. Bob Glidden, Kenny Bernstein and Don Garlits were major champions, but none was the recipient of this specific 1996 honor.