NHRA legend John Force hospitalized in ICU after crash at Virginia Nationals

John Force was hospitalized after a fiery crash during the NHRA Virginia Nationals on Sunday.

The 75-year-old racing legend was removed from his car after an engine explosion caused his Funny Car to cause multiple impacts with the outer retaining walls. According to a statement from John Force RacingForce was hospitalized for “further evaluation” in an intensive care unit at a nearby medical center.

The statement said Force was “injured” in the crash, but did not specify his injuries other than to say he was conscious and communicating with members of the NHRA safety team following the crash.

The explosion happened after Force won his race in the first round.

Force is the most successful driver in NHRA history. He won 16 Funny Car titles and 157 NHRA race victories throughout his illustrious career. Force won his first NHRA title in 1990 and went on to win 12 more titles from 1991 to 2004.

His most recent championship came in 2013, although he is currently second in the points standings behind fellow JFR driver Austin Prock and has won two of the first eight Funny Car races in 2024.

Force began his professional drag racing career in 1978 and his three daughters have driven at the highest levels of the NHRA. Ashley Force Hood and Courtney Force have retired from driving, while Brittany Force drives a Top Fuel dragster for her father’s team.

Sunday’s accident is not the first brutal accident Force has been involved in during his career. In 2007, Force broke his ankle and dislocated his wrist, among other injuries, during the Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas. Force had to be airlifted to a hospital following the accident and was forced to sit out the rest of the season. The Force crash that year came just months after JFR driver Eric Medlen died in a testing crash in March. Medlen died after suffering a head injury when his car’s tires began shaking violently.