Drag racing legend John Force, 75, was transported to the hospital when his automobile exploded at the finish of an NHRA race in Virginia. Funny Car veteran John Force was sent to the hospital after his car caught fire and collided with a wall during the opening round of the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.
Force, 75, won by 306.62 mph over Terry Haddock in the right lane at Virginia Motorsports Park when the engine of his PEAK Chevy Camaro burst during the high-speed lap.
The explosion threw him across the track before he collided with the left-side wall near the driver’s compartment. The car left the concrete surface and traveled across the track before colliding with the other wall.
Following the terrifying occurrence, the 157-time winner left the vehicle and remained conscious while speaking with Safety Safari employees.
He was led into an ambulance and sent to a Richmond-area hospital for examination.
When Force crashed, his colleague Austin Prock was waiting for him at the end of the circuit, having won his own first round. While visibly rattled by the situation, Prock expressed confidence in Force’s capacity to recover.
“I know he’s one tough son of a b****.” “He’ll be back,” Prock remarked about his employer. ‘It’s really difficult to watch someone go through that. I hope he’s okay. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I know he’ll come back.
‘We’re racecar drivers, and we have to turn the switch,’ Prock explained. You’ve got Austin Prock at home and Austin Prock as a racecar driver. You’ve got to turn the switch and finish the job. I know John wants us to be out here doing rounds. Perhaps we could get him a Wally.
Ron Capps, who was eliminated by Prock, said after the hour-long delay: ‘The old man suffering that accident was painful to see.’ He stated that while he sat in his tow truck, he began to think, “Man, what are we doing?” We’re not sure how he is.
Matt Hagan, the defending Funny Car champion, remarked, “My main thought is I hope John is okay.” You hate to watch him go through that. Pray for him. He is a sporting legend, the greatest of all time.
‘The automobile looked really burnt up.’I’ve always advocated against tying these [vehicle] bodies down, and this is a clear outcome of why we shouldn’t.
Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier. Shawn Langdon said, ‘We love what we do, but we’re all thinking about John at the moment.’
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