The entire racing community held its breath this past weekend as legendary drag racing driver John Force crashed at high speed. Force was hospitalized after a shocking incident that took place during a run in the Virginia Nationals at the Virginia Motorsports Park. His engine exploded, and the car crashed into the walls on both sides of the strip. He was driving at over 300 mph when the incident happened.
The crash took place on Sunday afternoon, during the final day of the Virginia National series. The safety workers immediately rushed to the scene of the crash and found John Force alert and talking, despite the severity of the crash.
The National Hot Rod Association Medical Team extricated and stabilized the 16-time champion at the track before being airlifted to the hospital, where he is still being treated in the Intensive Care Unit.
John Force Racing released a statement on Monday, announcing that the 75-year-old driver was still hospitalized and that doctors were moving slowly in "assessing the extent of the injuries because of the intensity of the impact."
Force's daughter, Brittany, a two-time world champion, her three sisters, and her mother, Laurie, arrived at the hospital soon after the driver.
His car suffered an engine failure during the first round of Funny Car eliminations. Everything went south within seconds as the vehicle was racing towards the finish line at 302 mph (487 kph).
Footage from the track shows how the engine blew up in flames and threw the car into the concrete guard wall before careening back into the right wall and coming to a halt mid-track. The videos also show him sitting up on the stretcher, seriously shaken, but seemingly all right. His helmet, fire suit, restraint systems, and solid cockpit saved his life.
John Force has been through serious crashes before, and every time, he got back to the drag strip. Back in 2007, he was involved in a horrific accident in Ennis, Texas. He was then 58.
In November 2022, his engine blew up one-third of the way down the track, throwing the carbon fiber body up in the air. Back then, Force walked away unharmed.
This time, however, the crash made everyone watching hold their breath until they found out that John Force was conscious the moment he was transported to the hospital. Updates on the condition of the driver's condition will be released in the following days. The doctors did not provide any information about the extent of the 75-year-old's injuries.
John Force is a legend of drag racing. He has been racing for 46 years and has won 157 races. His latest win came three weeks ago in New Hampshire.
The cars in the Funny Car competition are hazards on wheels. They are powered by V8 engines, mounted at the front, displacing up to 500 cubic inches (8,194 cc) and pumping out between 10,000 and 11,000 horsepower.
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