Jun 9, 2024; Bristol, TN, USA; NHRA funny car driver John Force during the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports NHRA legend John Force was released from a hospital on Tuesday and flown to a neurological rehab center as he works to recover from a fiery crash that resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Force, 75, had been hospitalized since June 23 when his car sustained a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line and slammed into a concrete guard wall at 302 mph. Force was alert and talking when he was rescued and taken to a local hospital before being heavily sedated.
John Force Racing issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that the transfer to a rehab facility “was considered by family members to be a major step forward in the recovery process.”
The statement added that “medical staff cautioned that the road ahead still is a difficult one. Force is dealing with cognitive and behavioral symptoms from the TBI, and while he has been able to converse with family and staff … he is still prone to periods of confusion.”
No timetable was put on the period Force will spend at “the new facility which was selected because of its success in treating other race car drivers with similar issues,” per the team’s statement.
Force and his family have dominated the sport of drag racing for decades. Force won 16 NHRA Funny Car championships as a driver and another 22 as a car owner. His daughters Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force and Courtney Force all have competed in NHRA drag racing.
The elder Force has continued to race, and he earned his second victory of 2024 on June 2 at the NHRA New England Nationals.
–Field Level Media
