Viva Las Vegas; John Force's 100th will have to wait, other drivers were kings in Vegas.

No, John Force did not win his 100th race last weekend in Las Vegas. But is that all there is to drag racing in America lately? Hey, Ron Krisher won Pro Stock at Vegas over Darrell Alderman. But it seems all anyone cared about was that Force, 11-time Funny Car champion and 99-race winner, keeps missing his 100th.

``Hot dog I'd like to get that over with,'' said Force.

He came within three rounds of getting it over with. Force lost in the second round to Del Worsham, whom he calls ``Opie'' for Worsham's wholesomeness.

``The kid was good,'' said Force. ``He's really a sweetheart, he saw me in the shutoff area, saw how I was feelin' and he come down and hugged me.''

Worsham was the guy who beat Force in the final round at Phoenix earlier this year. Phoenix was Force's first chance to get 100 wins. Gainesville three weeks ago was his second and Las Vegas was opportunity No. 3.

``I put the blame on me,'' said Force.

Actually, the blame goes on Elvis. Yes, Elvis. Force had a choice of two car bodies at Las Vegas. The older one, built by Roush Racing, was 24 pounds heavier and not as stiff but had a picture of Elvis on the side. The newer one, built by concept car maker Metalcrafters in Southern California, had the standard Castrol paint scheme but was lighter and stronger. Force loves Elvis, and has a deal with Elvis Presley Enterprises to sell models of the Elvis car. Vegas being an Elvis town, and Force being an Elvis fan, Force chose the King.