NHRA legend John Force was taken to the hospital on Sunday afternoon after a fiery crash at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie County during the National Hot Rod Association Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Force, 75, defeated Terry Haddock in the first round of Funny Car eliminations with a 302.62-mph run that was followed by his Chevy Camaro bursting into flames and slamming into a wall. Force exited the vehicle.
NHRA returns to Virginia Motorsports Park. Christiansburg's Matt Hagan will be racing.
The NHRA released the following statement: “During the first round of Funny Car eliminations at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals on Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park, John Force’s Funny Car suffered an engine explosion at the finish line and then crossed the centerline, striking both guard walls before coming to a stop.
“Force was alert and was examined onsite by the NHRA Medical Team before being transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.”
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Force, considered one of the greatest drag racers of all time, has 157 wins and 16 championships in his NHRA career. His daughter, Brittany Force, runs Top Fuel and continued to race following the accident.
“It’s something that’s tough. To go out there and see what happened, it’s never easy, but know it’s part of the drill. It’s how this sport goes,” Brittany Force told Amanda Busick on FS1.
“My dad is going to be OK. I was in the ambulance with him holding his hand and he’s one of the toughest people I know. So he’ll bounce back like he always does. And I wouldn’t be his daughter if I wasn’t back up here in that car trying to win this thing for this team with him.”
The feeling around the track shifted fast following the crash, not only for Brittany Force, but for everyone.
“Right now, it’s a little different mood out here,” said Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing my cellphone ring and John Force being on it. What we do is real dangerous.
“Bottom line is, this is a scary sport and what happened to John is frightening. From what I hear, he’s going to be OK.”
Brittany Force made it to the second round of Top Fuel eliminations before falling to Tony Stewart.
Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and winner of 49 Cup races, was competing at VMP for the first time in his Top Fuel dragster as a rookie. He garnered loud cheers from the crowd all weekend.
Stewart reached the Top Fuel semifinals, but hit only 180.65 mph in a loss to Doug Kalitta, who hit 326.79 mph.
It wasn’t a simple weekend for the dragsters because of the heat at VMP. Tasca called it the “hottest racetrack I’ve been on in my life.”
“It was a long, hot day out on that track. It was tricky,” said Brittany Force, who hit a top speed of 321.27 mph in round 1.
Brittany Force set track records at VMP in 2022 on her way to a victory the last time the NHRA raced in the Richmond area.
“When you can return to a track where you’ve been successful, it makes you a little more confident,” she said.
That sentiment is true for most racers, especially Steve Torrence, who won the 2018 and 2019 Top Fuel titles at VMP.
“It’s a great facility. We enjoy coming there,” said Torrence, who made his NHRA debut at VMP in 2006.
“It’s kind of a cool place for me that holds a special place in my career. I enjoy going (to VMP).”
For Ron Capps, the 2019 VMP Funny Car winner, it wasn’t the track that stood out the most about VMP, but the surrounding area thanks to a couple of different families he befriended who even hosted him for dinner.
“They kind of just took us all in as family, everybody on my team. So I just fell in love with the place. I remember myself meeting all these great people and forming these relationships,” he said.
“On top of that, when the track was built, it was state-of-the-art. I was devastated when we stopped racing there.”
In the finals:
- Doug Kalitta took home the win in Top Fuel after running 333.41 mph.
- Austin Prock of John Force Racing won in Funny Car with a run of 327.90.
- Aaron Stanfield won in Pro Stock with a run of 207.15.
- Gaige Herrera won in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 199.26.
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jdidlake@timesdispatch.com
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Jackson Didlake
Sports Reporter
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