NHRA Funny Car legend John Force was transported 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 exploded during the high-speed run.
The explosion threw him across the track before he collided with the left-side wall near the driver’s compartment. The vehicle left the concrete surface and traveled across the track before colliding with the other wall.
After the scary incident, the 157-time winner exited the car and was alert while talking with Safety Safari workers.
He was escorted into an ambulance and taken to a Richmond-area hospital to get checked.
When the crash happened, Force’s teammate Austin Prock was waiting for him at the end of the track after his own first-round victory. While clearly shaken by the incident, Prock sounded confident in Force’s ability to bounce back.
‘He’s one tough son of a b****, I know that. He’ll be back,’ Prock said of his boss. ‘It’s just tough to see somebody go through that. I hope he’s all right. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I know he’ll be back.’
‘We’re race-car drivers, and we have to flip the switch,’ Prock added. ‘You got at-home Austin Prock and you got race-car driver Austin Prock. You got to flip the switch and get the job done. I know John wants us to be out here, going rounds. Maybe we can get him a Wally.’
After waiting through the hour delay, Ron Capps – who was eliminated by Prock – said: ‘The old man having that accident was tough to watch.’ 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’s okay,’ said reigning Funny Car champion, Matt Hagan. You hate to see him go through that. Send prayers up for him. He’s a legend of the sport, the GOAT.
‘The car looked pretty burned up. ‘I’ve always been an advocate of not trying these [car] bodies down, and that’s a direct result of why we shouldn’t tie the bodies down.’
Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon added: ‘We love what we do, but we’re all thinking about John at this point.’
