NHRA Funny Car legend John Force was taken to the hospital after his car caught fire and crashed into a wall during the first round of the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.
Force, 75, cruised to a 306.62 mph victory over Terry Haddock in the right lane at Virginia Motorsports Park before his PEAK Chevy Camaro’s engine blew up during his high-speed run.
The explosion sent him across the runway before crashing into the left side wall next to the driver’s compartment. The vehicle left the concrete surface and crossed the track before hitting the opposite wall.
After the terrifying incident, the 157-time winner got out of the car and was alert while speaking to Safety Safari workers.
He was escorted to an ambulance and taken to a Richmond-area hospital for examination.
John Force was taken to a hospital in Richmond after his car caught fire and he crashed.
When the accident occurred, Force’s teammate Austin Prock was waiting for him at the end of the track after his own victory in the first round. Although clearly shaken by the incident, Prock seemed confident in Force’s ability to recover.
‘He’s a tough son of a bitch, I know. He’ll be back,” Prock said of his boss. ‘It’s just hard to watch someone go through that. I hope he’s okay. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I know he’ll be back.’
“We’re racing drivers and we have to flip the switch,” Prock added. ‘You have Austin Prock at home and you have racing driver Austin Prock. You have to flip the switch and do the work. I know John wants us to be here, hanging around. Maybe we can get him a Wally.
Force, 75, cruised to a 306.62mph victory over Terry Haddock before the terrifying crash.
The 157-time winner got out of the car and was alert while speaking to Safety Safari workers.
After waiting through the hour-long delay, Ron Capps, who was eliminated by Prock, said, “It was hard to see the old man who had that accident.” He said he sat in his tow vehicle and “you start thinking, ‘Man, what are we doing?’ We don’t know how he is.
“My main thought is I hope John is OK,” said reigning Funny Car champion Matt Hagan. You hate to see him go through that. Send prayers for him. He is a sports legend, the GOAT.
“The car looked pretty burned out. “I’ve always been a fan of not testing these (car) bodies, and that’s a direct result of why we shouldn’t tie down the bodies.”
Top Fuel’s No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon added, “We love what we do, but right now we’re all thinking about John.”