The rumors began making the rounds as early as February as the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season was getting up and running. There was nothing in the way of substantiation or denial during the past six months but now it has been announced and John Force Racing will have a new look in 2004.

This week, Gary Densham, who has been driving the AAA Ford Mustang as part of Force's three-car team since 2001, will be on his own in 2004, leading his own team when the new campaign begins next February in Pomona, Calif.

Details have been sketchy as to who will sponsor Densham's new effort and who will tune his fuel coupe when the series gets underway in '04, but it is clear that the departure of Densham will usher in a new alignment for his soon-to-be former boss.

Force, the sport's winningest driver and 12-time F/C champion, is still evaluating how many cars he will race next year. Should he commission another team car to fill the void created by Densham's absence, who will drive it remains another open question.

	Densham

"There's still a lot of decisions yet to be made," said Force as he and his team prepares for the 49th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend. "Everyone here loves Gary and he's been not only a great driver but a great friend so any way I can help him to get his own team together I'll do. But where my team goes from here is still being discussed with my team, my sponsors and some people who we might be looking at to come on board. I can't say anymore than that because I really don't know a lot of the answers myself."

Meanwhile, more rumors persist that Scotty Cannon may be passing on continuing his Funny Car career in 2004. He nearly returned to the Pro Modified category prior to the 2003 season -- a class where he won six IHRA championships -- but at the eleventh hour stayed with his current Oakley sponsored machine as part of Schumacher Racing. His friend and tuner, Phil Schuler, recently left the team, fueling rumors that Cannon may move to another class next year.

And there are increasing indications that changes may be on the way at Del Worsham's Checkers Schucks Kragen team, which recently added a third car driven by Arnie Karp to join the other two nitro Pontiacs driven by Worsham and Johnny Gray. What the changes will be and how they will affect the personnel lineup at CSK Racing have not been announced but some of those changes may happen before this season's end.

But for now, the Funny Car class has suddenly become an epicenter of change as the 2003 schedule rounds the bend and heads for home.

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.