NHRA drag racing icon and 16-time champion John Force remains in the intensive care unit of a Virginia trauma hospital after being injured in a crash during the first round of Sunday's NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. According to a statement by John Force Racing, the 75-year-old was moved from the trauma intensive care unti to the neuro intensive care unit four days after the accident.
Force won his first-round Funny Car race when his car suffered an explosion past the finish line, sending it veering into the other lane and into a concrete wall at an estimated 302 mph. Force's car then spun and briefly went airborne before a secondary impact in his original lane.
Force was said to be conscious and speaking with safety personnel before being transported via helicopter to a nearby medical center. According to John Force Racing, attending doctors were purposely moving slowly in assessing the full extent of his injuries due to the force of the impact, and medical staff will not provide a treatment and recovery timetable until a total evaluation is completed.
On Thursday, John Force racing shared that Force has been moved to the neuro intensive care unit so that the attending medical team can focus on his head injury, which is the primary concern. The team statement noted that the move was a "welcome positive" for the Force family.
— John Force Racing (@JFR_Racing) June 27, 2024
Force is the most prolific and accomplished racer in NHRA history, with 157 race wins and 16 Funny Car titles. He is currently second in this year's points standings behind John Force Racing driver Austin Prock and has won two of the first eight races of the season. Prock will compete this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Oh., but he will not be joined by teammate Brittany Force, who will remain at the hospital in solidarity with her father.
Force's career has not been without its share of serious accidents. In 2007, Force suffered a broken ankle and dislocated wrist among other injuries in a crash at the Fall Nationals in Texas, causing him to miss the remainder of that season.
