Legendary Drag Racer John Force In Fight For His Life After Devastating Crash
NHRA’s most prolific driver continues to be in the ICU days after a high-speed accident.
After an engine explosion this past weekend, NHRA Funny Car driver John Force was engaged in a terrible collision. With help from the NHRA Safety Safari, the 16-time Funny Car champion managed to climb out of the debris and was flown by helicopter to a nearby trauma centre. Force was taking part in the Virginia Nationals of the NHRA, which was taking place at Virginia Motorsports Park, which is outside of Richm
ond.
His supercharged Hemi engine catastrophically failed during the first round of competition, resulting in a series of events that included multiple collisions with the retaining walls. After outpacing Terry Haddock in the win light, Force burst through the traps at a speed of more than 300 mph. Force appeared to be fighting to keep control of his Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car as the engine blew up, and then the vehicle slid from the right lane to the left and hit the wall very quickly. The vehicle then crossed the course and made impact with the concreate barrier on the right side.
The force of the blow seemed to have rocked Force when the paramedics placed him on a stretcher and took him by helicopter to a trauma centre in the area for assessment. Regarding the Force’s condition, John Force Racing, which presently fields three nitro-burning racecars and has 22 NHRA championships under its belt, has issued two terse but ambiguous statements. About a day after the accident, the most recent release acknowledges that he is in the intensive care unit and that his wife and four daughters are with him at the hospital. His health is being closely monitored, according to people close to the squad, and there may be serious injuries involved. Because of how severe the impact was, the physicians are deliberately taking their time to disclose the full extent of the damage, and they won’t
