75-Year-Old NHRA Driver John Force Alive and ‘Alert’ After Fiery, 300 MPH Crash: ‘He’s a Tough Cookie’

Force remains in the care of a Virginia hospital following the Sunday crash

National Hot Rod Association driver John Force is currently “conscious and talking” following a fiery crash in Petersburg, Va. on Sunday, June 23, per a post from the John Force Racing X (formerly Twitter) account.

The crash occurred during the first round of NHRA Virginia Nationals Funny Car eliminations at Virginia Motorsports Park. After the 75-year-old hit the finish line in 4,100 seconds with a 302.62-mph victory over Terry Haddock, the engine of his Chevrolet Camaro exploded at the finish line. His car went across the track’s center line and struck the left concrete guard wall before it was propelled to the right guard wall.

The NHRA medical team examined him at the track and then he was transported via medical helicopter to a “nearby medical center for further evaluation in the ICU,” per the John Force Racing Sunday post on X.

On Monday evening, June 24, the account shared in a follow-up statement that he remained in the hospital’s ICU on Monday.

“Attending doctors purposely were moving slowly in assessing the extent of the injuries to the Hall of Fame owner and driver because of the intensity of the impact. Medical staff will not provide a treatment and recovery timetable until a total evaluation is completed,” read the statement.

Additionally, “[Force’s] condition will be released at the discretion of the medical staff.”

His wife, Laurie, and their daughters, Brittany, Adria, Ashley, and Courtney, are at the hospital.

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After the crash, Force's teammate Austin Prock, who won the Funny Car division, said while speaking from the winners’ circle that the trophy “is going straight to the hospital to John Force," per the Associated Press.

"It's just tough to see somebody go through that, especially when it's somebody you really care about, but I know he'll be back. We're race car drivers and we have to flip the switch. I know John wanted us to be out here, going rounds, and I'm glad we did our job,” Prock, 28, said.

"We're keeping our pal John Force in our thoughts and prayers. He's one tough cookie," said former NASCAR star Tony Stewart, per the AP.

“My main thought is I hope John’s okay. You hate to see him go through that. Send prayers up for him. He’s a legend of the sport, the GOAT. The car looked pretty burned up,” Funny Car champion Matt Hagan said, per Autoweek.

"We love what we do, but we're all thinking about John at this point,” added Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon, per Autoweek.

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Before the Sunday crash, Force earned his 157th NHRA victory — and second this season —  at the NHRA New England Nationals in New Hampshire. 

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