A massive accident during the NHRA Virginia Nationals in June left John Force completely shattered. After winning his heat with a 302 mph run, John Force’s car crossed the finish line and then his engine exploded. A fireball was visible as support rushed to get him out of the car. Force was lucky to escape the wreckage despite the car crashing into walls on either side of the track.

It was later revealed that Force suffered Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) because of his crash and was in the hospital for four weeks. Along with TBI, Force also had a fractured sternum and had to be airlifted from Virginia to the nearest hospital. After the TBI diagnosis, he was transferred to Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Nearly four months after his horrific injury, Force showed up in Las Vegas towards the end of last year and was interviewed by Amanda Busick. The latter was full of praise for John Force, who opened up about his struggles to be away from the team and his journey to recovery.

Force is incredibly proud of his team

Right after John Force met with the accident, his role was taken over by none other than Jack Beckman in August. It was the 58-year-old Beckman who made it to eight of the remaining races and he even won two out of them in St. Louis and season finale at Pomona. He finished second behind Austin Prock who is also an integral part of John Force’s Racing. Given the kind of setback that Force’s team went through after the accident, this result is quite endearing. 

Speaking of the same, Force said, “I’m good. It gets rough. Long long day yesterday but being with my team was most important. I hadn’t seen most of them in four months and then the fans are unbelievable.” After being released from the hospital after a month to undergo his outpatient therapy, John returned to his team garage after four months of rehabilitation and was delighted to see everyone again. Going through what he did at 75 years of age shows how incredibly strong he is as a human being and is a testament to his legacy as a driver.

Force added, “Over there with Beckman and Brittany and Prock and the fans are just unbelievable… So no, I miss my hot rod. I miss my teams.” The 75-year-old admitted that the support he, his daughter Brittany Force, and his replacement drivers Jack Beckman and Austin Prock received was heartwarming to see after being away for so long. While it is not known now whether he will be back racing, it is still on the cards for Beckman to race the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS for the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing season.

Mentioning the way his team has combated, Force credits Cornwell’s tools amongst other people for helping his team through such tough times. Force said, “So you know we got the Chevrolet Dragster and we got Hendrick’s, all these guys, Cornwell, Prock. I don’t know from where he come from. I’m amazed and Beckman’s doing a great job. So I’m really excited to be back. Days are long and I got a lot of recovery to do and see where it goes”. John Force admitted that even after four months away from the tracks, he still has recovery left but is optimistic about racing in the future and is excited to be back amongst things. Force was on bed rest for four months and during that time he must have had some time to do future planning as he certainly has some exciting ventures outside of racing that he wants to tend to.

Force revealed that he has some alternate career plans for his upcoming future – a Hollywood movie on the line, a podcast, and finishing his book. While working on these might seem to be a dream for many, the good news is that Force is taking active measures to make it work. Speaking on the same, Force said, “I got a movie out there that I want to do and I build a complete set my theater for a podcast… It’s really nice.” Speaking of the book on cards, he said, “I want to get my book done. It’s been done for years. I just haven’t put it out because I don’t have any time… but I have got a lot of rehabbing ahead of me… love NHRA”.

Podcasts have become quite a common option for a lot of drivers and retired motorsport enthusiasts who share their special opinions on everyday happenings. Adding a book to the mix along with a move, John Force is certainly keeping his fans entertained even while off the track.

John Force’s daughter, Courtney Force, points out an annoying habit he had

It might be common to witness father-son pairings in the world of driving, however, father-daughter combos are a rare sight to behold. It seems as though the former NHRA racer and daughter of John Force breaks this mold. She followed in her father’s footsteps for a career that spanned for about 9 years before she chose to retire at the age of 30. Recently, Courtney Force opened up about how she felt under the guidance of her father while driving for John Force Racing in April 2012.

She said, “It’s definitely a lot of fun. And I like working with my dad. He’s tough on me sometimes and it definitely is fun. Dad doesn’t really know how to turn the switch off from boss to father, which makes things a little tough. But I mean, when we’re back home, all he’s talking about is racing and, you know, anything that he thinks I need to improve. So, I mean, it works. I guess I’m used to it”. 

Courtney has been an integral part of John Force Racing since its inception, and she ran for the Funny Car category for the longest. She retired in the year 2019 and has been married to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. Even though she did retire in her prime time as a driver, she has been involved with John Force Racing.