Southern California drag racer John Force moved to outpatient care weeks after a frightening 300-mph crash that left the 16-time NHRA champ hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, his family said this week.
The 75-year-old Force, who was born in Bell Gardens and lives in Yorba Linda, was back home Monday after 15 days in a Virginia hospital and a stint at a rehabilitation center in Arizona, his family said.
Ashley Force Hood, the daughter, said in a statement issued by John Force Racing on Tuesday, “He finally gets to sleep in his own bed.” Daughter Brittany Force shared a picture of her father grinning and giving the thumbs up from his hospital bed on Instagram.
Force was discharged from the Barrow Neurological Institute, where he had been rehabbing since early July, according to the statement. He will receive outpatient treatment and speech, occupational and physical therapy for lingering short-term memory and cognitive issues while recovering at home, the statement continued.
“Peace out Phoenix! After 30 days my dad is finally heading home where we will continue outpatient therapy,” Brittany Force posted on Instagram. “These next steps to recovery will definitely be a family effort!”
At the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park on June 23, Force was involved in a crash during his first-round run in the Funny Car eliminations that resulted in a traumatic head injury, a fractured sternum, and injuries to his right wrist. The automobile crossed the centerline of the strip and smashed into the left concrete guard wall on the driver’s side after his engine blew up near the finish line. After that, the car smashed into the other wall and skidded back across the track.
Force, a Cerritos College student, was alert and conversing with safety personnel right away following the catastrophic collision. Before being evacuated off the track, he was evaluated by an NHRA medical team.
