Plans are underway behind the scenes to get 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force’s car back in action while he recovers from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a June 23 crash at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Robert Hight, the president of John Force Racing, stated on Thursday that he hopes to have the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS back in the race before the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoffs begins in September.
“After talking with John’s team and our partners, particularly Jim Campbell at Chevrolet and Brian Bohlander at PEAK, we have started taking the necessary steps to get the PEAK Chevy back on the racetrack,” Hight stated.
What happened to John Force?
Force suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Legendary 16-time NHRA drag racer John Force has been transferred from neuro-intensive care to acute neuro care at a trauma hospital in Virginia.
According to a statement by John Force Racing, the 75-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury among other injuries, including a fractured sternum and a right wrist injury.
Force’s car exploded beyond the finish line, causing it to veer into the other lane and crash into a concrete wall at an estimated 302 mph.
This incident won Force his first-round Funny Car race. Force’s car then spun and briefly went airborne before a secondary impact in his original lane.
Force has 16 Funny Car titles and 157 race victories, making him the most successful and prolific racer in NHRA history.
Having won two of the season’s first eight races, he was second in the points standings this year when he was involved in an accident.
Furthermore, he has experienced a fair share of catastrophic mishaps throughout his career. Force missed the rest of the 2007 season due to injuries he sustained in a crash at the Fall Nationals in Texas, including a dislocated wrist and broken ankle.
Force is still experiencing TBI symptoms, the update confirmed, despite the “major step in the recovery process.” The update continued:
“The medical staff did warn that there is still a difficult road ahead.” Force is still prone to periods of confusion despite being able to communicate with family and staff, enjoy the company of his grandsons, Jacob and Noah Hood, and celebrate his daughter Brittany’s birthday on a Monday, all while managing cognitive and behavioral symptoms from the traumatic brain injury.
“Family members stated that no schedule had been set for the duration of Force’s stay at the new facility, which was chosen due to its efficacious treatment of other race car drivers experiencing comparable problems.”
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