NHRA legend John Force’s latest brush with death left fans in terror at the sight of a literal 300 MPH inferno
Despite having more success over the course of his nearly 50-year career than any professional drag racer in history John Force is still competing for victories.
But with that comes the grim reality all racers face where one wrong move could very well be their last.
And NHRA legend John Force’s latest brush with death left fans in terror at the sight of a literal 300 MPH inferno.
Brute Force
At the age of 75, no one would blame National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) legend John Force if he called it a career, and simply chose to put his energy towards adding to John Force Racing’s 22 Championships.
But the 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion seems to have zero interest in doing anything other than dropping the hammer and hitting over 300 MPH every weekend.
Just a few weeks ago, Force secured his 157th career victory at the NHRA New England Nationals, besting one of his John Force Racing teammates, Austin Prock, by hitting over 319 MPH in the final round of action.
While he’s yet to show any signs of slowing down, though, Force – and everyone else in the motorsports world, for that matter – was recently reminded that racers don’t always get to decide when they’ve run their last race.
During the first round of this past weekend’s PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals, Force won his run against fellow NHRA competitor Terry Haddock, reaching over 302 MPH in the process.
But as Breitbart reported, just as Force crossed the finish line, his 1100-horsepower engine erupted in flames, sending his car careening back and forth between the two concrete barriers lining the drag strip “like a fiery pinball.”
The FS1 broadcast of the event noted during a replay of the accident that it was “one of the most significant crashes of [Force’s] entire legendary career.”
BREAKING NOW: ⚠️ Legendary NHRA champion John Force suffers HORRIFIC CRASH while qualifying in Virginia..
DEVELOPING..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) June 23, 2024
Miraculously, Force was able to escape the fiery, mangled mess under his own power, before being taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was placed into the intensive care unit for “further evaluation,” according to a statement from John Force Racing.
The statement went on to reveal that the NHRA legend was “injured” in the crash, but did not specify what injuries he may have sustained as doctors “purposely were moving slowly in assessing the extent of the injuries” due to “the intensity of the impact.”
A “catastrophic” failure
Force’s daughter, two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Brittany Force, took to social media following the incident to express her faith that her dad would bounce back.
“My dad’s going to be all right,” Brittany Force said. “I was in the ambulance with him, holding his hand. And he’s one of the toughest people I know. So he’ll bounce back like he always does.”
But an additional statement from John Force Racing indicated that Force remains in the ICU and that any future updates “will be released at the discretion of the medical staff.”
The team’s statement did, however, reveal that the incident was caused by what it described as a “catastrophic engine failure.”
While there’s not yet a timetable for Force’s recovery, he did suffer a similarly devastating incident at the 2007 Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas, breaking his ankle and dislocating his wrist amongst other injuries.
Force had to be airlifted from that incident, causing him to miss the remainder of the NHRA season and he didn’t return to his top-level form for another three years as the injuries he sustained in the crash left him with issues like a lack of grip in his right hand that ultimately took ample time – and advances in technology – to overcome on track.
This obviously isn’t 17 years ago, though.
At this point in his life, it’s going to take a Herculean effort for Force to simply return to competition, much less compete at the level he’s accustomed to.
But if any 75-year-old in the history of mankind can pull it off, it’s John Force.
