Force's Funny Car to make track return in Norwalk

KENT, Wash. — On a Pacific Raceways track on which he has won a record nine times, most recently in 2019, John Force won't have the opportunity to reach double-digit success during this weekend's 35th NHRA Northwest Nationals. Instead, drag racing's winningest driver will continue to rehab at an Arizona facility specializing in the treatment of the kind of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) he suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va. While the 75 year-old-racer is sidelined indefinitely, John Force Racing president Robert Hight confirmed on July 18 a plan to put the 16-time champion's Chevrolet Camaro back in competition before the start of the NHRA's Countdown to the Championship in September. "After conversations with John's team and with our partners, especially Brian Bohlander at PEAK and Jim Campbell at Chevrolet, and with John's input and approval, we have begun taking the steps necessary to get the PEAK Chevy back on the racetrack," Hight said. The tentative target for the car's return is the 47th annual Night Under Fire, August 2-3, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk. Force was slated to drive in the popular exhibition event against Funny Car rivals Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon and Dale Creasy Jr. as part of a show that also includes Top Fuel dragsters, jets and a world-class fireworks show. "We hope to tie up all the loose ends and introduce a driver some time right after Sonoma (NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 26-28)," Hight said. "There's a good pool of driving talent out there but, obviously, we need to find the right fit for both the team and our sponsors." Hight, a three-time NHRA Funny Car Champion and two-time Seattle winner, has himself been sidelined this year by health issues, his seat in the Cornwell Tools Camaro capably filled by current point leader Austin Prock. Prock was attempting to become just the third driver to win Northwest Nationals titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Force not only suffered TBI, but also a fractured sternum and a right wrist injury. He was moved out of neuro-intensive care and into acute neuro care at the Virgnia hospital where he was transported by air on June 23. Force was seriously injured following an engine explosion that sent his Funny Car into a concrete guard wall at over 300 miles per hour on June 23 during the NHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond, Va. The crash sent him into the guard wall at top speed. The car exploded twice and flipped on its side before returning upright. Force recently regained his equilibrium to the point that he has been able to start walking with the assistance of medical staff members. Force is the winningest driver in the history of U.S. motorsports, with 157 tour victories that have culminated in him becoming a 16-time world champion. Already the most successful, popular and recognizable driver in the sport, he was again in contention (second place) for another season championship when the crash happened. Under the current plan, his car will have missed three of the 24 NHRA races. This wasn't Force's first brush with a serious crash. Known for his candor, Force has often said "I've been on fire from here to Australia." He survived a severe crash at Dallas in 2007, which resulted in life-threatening injuries that saw him hospitalized for more than a month. The recent crash was ahead of the NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk. It's one of the favorite stops for Force, who is in six different hall of fames. A portion of the grandstands in Norwalk are named in Force's honor, with a picture of his likeness perched high atop Summit Motorsports Park. Force — who won his 157th career win in late April at Epping, N.H. — won the Summit Nationals in 2014. He gave his Wally trophy to racetrack owner Bill Bader Jr. after the win. Force has been a mainstay at the Norwalk track for decades as one of the marquee draws at the annual Night Under Fire exhibition, which will now see his car return at the event, albeit without him in the cockpit. The Force grandstands were unveiled at the Night Under Fire in 2000. At the Summit Nationals, fans were able to sign a huge "Get well soon, John" sign near the pit area during the three-day event from June 28-30. Both John and Brittany Force's cars were also on display despite their absence. The Track Walk on June 30 — where fans get to walk the 1,000 feet of the dragstrip before driver introductions on elimination Sunday at each race — was done with fans walking behind both John and Brittany's cars as they were being towed down the strip. Brittany, a two-time Top Fuel champion, skipped the Norwalk races to be with her father at the hospital. She also returned to the track with the rest of the series this weekend, and is also still advertised for the Night Under Fire.