John Force officially retires from drag racing

YORBA LINDA, Calif. — Legendary drag racer John Force, 16-time Funny Car champion and the winningest driver in NHRA history, announced Nov. 13 during a media luncheon at his race shop in Yorba Linda that he is officially retiring from competition. The announcement came 17 months after Force suffered serious injuries, including a fractured sternum and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in a devastating crash during competition on June 23, 2024 at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va. A catastrophic engine failure sent Force crashing into a concrete wall at nearly 300 mph. The impact then sent him careening across the center line and into another wall. The TBI ultimately forced him out of the car for good after becoming the winningest driver in the history of U.S. motorsports. The numbers Force accumulated over a career that began in the 1970s speak for themselves. He was a 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion (1990-91, 1993-2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013). Force had 157 event wins and made 269 final-round appearances. Force also earned the No. 1 qualifier spot 166 times, and he tallied 1,460 round wins in competition. "I really love NHRA but I am officially done with driving," Force said. "I've said so many times, 'Until this race car kills me, they're gonna have to drag me out of the seat.' But the truth is, I was dragged out of the seat at Richmond and they thought it killed me then. "So, I'm lucky that I'm back walking. They always say never say never, but I have grandchildren with Courtney and Graham, with Ashley and Danny, and now Brittany's retired because she wants to have children." Youngest daughter Brittany Force announced Sept. 12 that she would be stepping away from competition at the end of this season to focus on starting a family with husband Bobby Lyons, Jr. "It's time for me to retire," John said. "I had medical stuff that I had to address and 'do I want to get back in the car and get hit in the head,' and I don't. So, I guess it's official, I'm done. "I won't say I won't ever get in a car to warm it up or maybe even make a burnout. Don't know. I guess it'll be the response from the fans. If they cheer loud enough, I'll hear ya." Force will continue to oversee John Force Racing, the 23-time championship winning organization based in Brownsburg, Ind., and it's three champion drivers. They currently include Brittany Force, two-time Top Fuel champion who is fourth in the point standings; Austin Prock, reigning Funny Car champion who has a 101-point lead going into the Finals; and 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman who took over the driving duties for Force and is third in the point standings. On Oct. 15, JFR announced that five-year veteran Top Fuel driver Josh Hart will be driving for its Top Fuel team in 2026 to replace Brittany. Force was a huge fan favorite at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk over the past 40-plus years. The late Bill Bader Sr. first struck up a friendship with Force over the years at the annual Night Under Fire exhibition, which is held every year in August. At the Night Under Fire in 2000, a portion of the grandstands with an image of Force's likeness was unveiled. It remains perched atop Summit Motorsports Park today. He's also driven special-themed cars specifically for the Norwalk races over the years. In 2014, after Force won the Summit Nationals for the first and only time — the 140th of his 157 career wins — he gave his prestigious Wally trophy and victory cap to Bader Jr., where it is still displayed in his office at the Ohio 18 facility.