NHRA Icon John Force Released from Neurological Intensive Care After Fiery Crash
NHRA great John Force, hospitalized since Sunday’s fiery crash at more than 300 mph, has been moved to the neurological intensive care unit so doctors can focus on his head injury, his racing team said in a statement Thursday. The head injury to the 75-year-old Funny Car driver is of “primary concern” to doctors, John Force Racing said in its statement, but the move from the trauma intensive care unit was a “welcome positive for his family members.” The statement said Force was improving, but faced a long road to recovery. He remains at the Virginia hospital where he’s been since his fiery crash Sunday in the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Force’s daughter Brittany, a two-time world champion, remains at the hospital with her mother, Laurie, and three sisters. In its statement, John Force Racing said Brittany will not compete at this week’s NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio. “The Force family are grateful for the team of medical professionals who are caring for John, and for the overwhelming number of heartfelt messages of prayer, support and concern,” the team’s statement said.
On Sunday, Force was alert and talking to safety workers immediately after crashing at 302 mph. The Hall of Fame owner and driver was examined at the track by the NHRA medical team before being transported by medical helicopter to the trauma hospital. During the first round of Funny Car eliminations, Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the center line and striking the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall. The team said Monday that medical staff will not provide a treatment and recovery timetable until a total evaluation is completed.
Three weeks ago in New Hampshire, Force raced to his record 157th NHRA victory and second of the season. In 2007 at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas.
National Hot Rod Association driver John Force is now in the neurological intensive care unit after spending three days in the trauma care unit following his fiery crash at a June 23 NHRA event in Virginia. The John Force Racing account on X (formerly Twitter) announced Force’s move in a message posted Thursday, June 27. The move allows the 75-year-old’s medical team to “focus on [Force’s] head injury, which is their primary concern.”
Force was involved in a fiery crash on Sunday, during the first round of NHRA Virginia Nationals Funny Car eliminations at Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg. After hitting the finish line with a 302.62-mph victory over Terry Haddock, the engine of his Chevrolet Camaro exploded. Force’s car went across the track’s center line and struck the left concrete guard wall before it was propelled to the right guard wall.
His family’s reaction to the latest development in treatment was “positive.” His wife, Laurie, and daughters Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force, Courtney Force, and Adria Hight have remained at his side all week. “The Force family are grateful for the team of medical professionals who are caring for John, and for the overwhelming number of heartfelt messages of prayer, support, and concern. Thank you for continuing to respect the privacy of the family and John Force Racing team members,” read the statement on X.
Force was examined on Sunday by the NHRA medical team at the track and transported via medical helicopter to a “nearby medical center for further evaluation in the ICU,” per the John Force Racing Sunday post on X. The next evening, June 24, the account shared in a follow-up statement that he remained in the hospital’s ICU. “Attending doctors purposely were moving slowly in assessing the extent of the injuries to the Hall of Fame owner and driver because of the intensity of the impact. Medical staff will not provide a treatment and recovery timetable until a total evaluation is completed,” read the statement.
After the Sunday crash, Austin Prock — who won the Funny Car division — said while speaking from the winners’ circle that the trophy “is going straight to the hospital to John Force,” per the Associated Press. “It’s just tough to see somebody go through that, especially when it’s somebody you really care about, but I know he’ll be back. We’re race car drivers and we have to flip the switch. I know John wanted us to be out here, going rounds, and I’m glad we did our job,” Prock, 28, said.
Before the crash, Force earned his second victory this season and his 157th NHRA victory at the NHRA New England Nationals in New Hampshire. Brittany has removed herself from the Summit Racing Equipment National in Norwalk, Ohio, this week to stay at the hospital. Prock will compete again this weekend for the John Force Racing organization.
NHRA drag racing great John Force has been moved out of neurological intensive care after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300 mph crash at the Virginia Nationals last month. The 75-year-old Force has been moved from neurological intensive care into acute neuro care at the hospital where he was transported by air ambulance on June 23, John Force Racing said Friday in a release. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and other injuries, including a fractured sternum, in the crash during the first round of Funny Car eliminations. Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the center line and slamming into the left concrete guard wall then careening back across into the right wall.
The team’s statement said Force still has periods of confusion and will likely at some point move to a long-term facility specializing in traumatic brain injuries and associated symptoms. He has been able to speak and to walk with help from medical staff, but the release said, “Medical professionals emphasized once again that the journey ahead will be a long and difficult one.” In 2007, at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race at the highest level, earning his second win of the season and record 157th NHRA victory in New Hampshire. Force’s daughter, Brittany, is a two-time drag racing world champion.
As Funny Car legend John Force remains in intensive care, doctors are focusing their efforts on the head injury he suffered over the weekend in a fiery high-speed crash at the NHRA Virginia Nationals. Force has been moved from the trauma intensive care unit to the neuro intensive care unit, according to NHRA.com – a move seen as a positive step for the 16-time champion and his family. Daughter Brittany Force, who has remained at the Richmond-area hospital along with other family members since Sunday’s crash, has decided not to compete this week at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. John Force Racing will be represented in the Funny Car division by team member Austin Prock, who posted an emotional win last week in Virginia, one he dedicated to Force immediately afterward.
Force, 75, is a 16-time NHRA champion and has won a total of 157 races during his legendary career, which began in 1978. He currently ranks second in the 2024 NHRA Funny Car standings through nine of 21 events.
NHRA drag racing great John Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300 mph crash a week ago but is showing “daily signs of improvement” in a neurological intensive care unit, according to his team. John Force Racing said Sunday that the 75-year-old Force initially couldn’t follow commands to open his eyes, squeeze the hands of care providers or move his extremities following the crash. After five days of heavy sedation, he began to gain momentum, including being able to respond to commands such as giving a thumbs-up and to recognize family members, calling them by name and saying “I love you.”
Force was transferred Wednesday from a trauma ICU to the neurological ICU, where he will remain for the immediate future and still faces “a long and difficult recovery ahead,” the team’s statement said. “The biggest challenge has been managing his extreme agitation and confusion, which causes him significant distress,” the statement said. During the first round of Funny Car eliminations on June 23, Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the centerline and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall. Force was alert and talking to safety workers immediately after crashing at 302 mph. The Hall of Fame owner and driver was examined at the track by the NHRA medical team before being transported by helicopter to a hospital.
In 2007, at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race at the highest level; four weeks ago in New Hampshire, Force raced to his record 157th NHRA victory and second of the season. Force’s daughter, Brittany, a two-time world champion, was at the hospital with her mother, Laurie, and three sisters. She will not race this weekend in Norwalk, Ohio, remaining with her family at the hospital.
Source: ESPN News Services, Associated Press
