Today is July 23rd, and it has been exactly one month since my all-time drag racing and sports hero, John Force, suffered a horrific Funny Car explosion and crash at over 320 miles per hour in a first-round win at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals. If you follow NHRA drag racing and watch the races on TV, you’ve probably seen these engine explosions before. John Force has been through many of them in his 47-year Funny Car career. With over 11,000 horsepower jammed into a 500 cubic inch Hemi engine fueled by up to 90% nitromethane, these engines can literally explode like a stick of dynamite. The explosion in this event destroyed most of the Chevrolet Camaro funny car body, and Force struggled to keep the car in its lane. After a few seconds, it drifted across the track and hit the other crash wall in a super hard glancing blow, then crossed back across the track, striking the crash wall in his lane before coming to a stop. The first impact was extremely hard and probably when he suffered a traumatic brain injury. The safety equipment did its job, but that side impact was incredibly hard. Force was in a Virginia hospital intensive care unit for over a week. He has since been moved to a neurologic rehabilitation facility, most likely back in Orange County, California. It looks like he is on the road to recovery as he talks with family members and close friends. I did some research, and traumatic brain injuries can be fatal or require long recovery times.

John Force was 75 years old when this crash happened. I’m 73 years old and have loved drag racing and cheered for John Force and his racing teams for at least 35 years. To me, there is no question that John Force is one of the big reasons that NHRA professional drag racing became so popular over the last 40 years. His rags-to-riches story has inspired me to keep going, to hang in there, and to have the courage to NOT GIVE UP. His inspiration motivated me to create the Front Engine Pro Nitro Drag Racing series. For five years, I put my heart and soul into trying to build a new grassroots nostalgia type of racing series with front engine Top Fuel dragsters and an exciting new class we named Blown Bad Boys. Pro Nitro didn’t make it, but I was proud of the dedication and work we put into the effort. A few years later, that effort and experience gave me the confidence to start the Roddin’ & Racin’ TV show. When the 2008 economic crash happened, we were about 18 months into producing the TV show and in our 19th year of producing this publication. During that very tough time, we had to decide to keep going or fold our tent and move on to something else. In the decision-making process, I thought about John Force many times. This was the guy that raced Funny Cars for over 10 years and lost 9 final round races before his first NHRA win in 1987. By the way, we ended up doing the TV show for 10 full years and have owned this publication for over 33 years.

John Force went into the 2024 racing season with 155 Funny Car wins and 16 NHRA Championships, but he hadn’t won a race in a couple of years and often talked about maybe being too old at age 75. Well, that no-win streak ended at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler this April, where he won the rain-delayed Winternationals final round. When the Virginia accident happened, Force had won a second race this year and was number 2 in championship points. I have been bracket racing as part of the Firebird Summit Racing Series team for over 25 years, but earlier this year I was thinking it might be time to move on to something else. Then John Force wins again at age 75, driving a 335 mile per hour Nitro Funny Car. Well, let’s just say that I’m excited about racing on July 27th.

We may have seen the last time John Force will ever rocket down the drag strip; only time will tell on that one. But I will continue to cheer for his daughter and two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force and team Funny Car driver Austin Prock. Prock has already won several times this year and is currently #1 in points.

“THANKS, JOHN, FOR THE YEARS OF THRILLS AND INSPIRATION.”