NHRA legend John Force was released from neurological intensive care weeks after a catastrophic, 300-mph wreck.
Richmond, Virginia (AP) NHRA drag racing legend John Force has been released from neurological intensive care after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a violent, 300-mph incident at the Virginia Nationals last month.
The 75-year-old Force has been transferred from neurological critical care to acute neuro care at the hospital where he was brought by air ambulance on June 23, according to a press release issued Friday by John Force Racing.
He sustained a catastrophic head injury as well as other injuries, including a cracked sternum, in the incident during the first round of Funny Car elimination.
Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the center line and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall.
The team’s statement said Force still has periods of confusion and will likely at some point move to a long-term facility specializing in TBI and associated symptoms. He has been able to speak and to walk with help from medical staff, but the release said “medical professionals emphasized once again that the journey ahead will be a long and difficult one.”
In 2007, at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race at the highest level, earning his second win of the season and record 157th NHRA victory in New Hampshire.
Force’s daughter, Brittany, is a two-time world champion.
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