What a hard hit....

That was a couple of hard hits.
There was a fatal accident at Woodburn this past weekend. I was there on Friday helping tune but the accident happened on Saturday. An older racer rolled his car and was dead on the scene. They were not sure if he had a medical emergency before the wreck, or if the wreck killed him.

The hit that Force took was the same that killed Eric Medlen and the construction rules were changed to prevent deaths from such side hits.

I thought severe tire shake is what killed Medlin? Man, that has been a long time ago.

NHRA will be looking at the reason the chutes didn't deploy I bet. Maybe the explosion damaged the system. They could have lessened or eliminated the impact with the left wall had they deployed.

I agree that a tire problem caused Medlin's death but also agree that all the improvements made in the seats and head padding since then made Force's accident more survivable.

I'm praying for him, what I heard last night was not good on where he is and which care and tests their doing for his body

I think they said the explosion took out all the chute mechanism, back-up etc.
It was a very, very hard it.
My first thought after being concerned for John was: Bet no one is complaining about safety rules, cage requirements right now!
Prayes for John, glad they have kept him for a complete workup .

The explosion alone was highlight-reel stuff for those who like seeing that kind of stuff - but that impact against the left side was scary & hard to watch.
That would have killed a driver not that long ago (action/reaction vs immovable barrier).
Time for NHRA to consider something like NASCAR tracks have to absorb some of the hit, but it won't be cheap.

One good takeway from all that was to see how loved the guy is - the crew & other driver reactions had me tearing up a bit, to be honest.
Praying for a speedy & complete recovery - I'd bet JF doesn't want his driving career to end with a wreck, but rather on his terms.
I'd say he's earned that, being an icon arguably in the realm to Garlits.

Saw an update this morning that he is still in ICU, but nothing about his actual condition.

Yeah, my guess is they might be looking at soft tissue, and organ function. Maybe even cognitive factors.

My concerns is brain damage, I've been hit hard, accidents also, in my head to many times. our brains our easily damage in car wrecks
I'm hoping he is okay in all ways
That man is one of America most successful drag racers, he came up the hard way and earn everything he has gotten

I am very fortunate to have been a victim of his wonderful hospitality and his very personable personality. It was a wild celebration in his pit when he won the the finals at the gatornationals in the dark back in our younger days. I will tip some Crown Royal to him later

John Force is the most gracious man - it was the most interesting time being in his pit for the race [actually 2 races, gatornational /us nationals] and hanging out with him when he was interacting with all the race fans signing autographs.

I am hoping he recovers quickly from this accident

He is still in the ICU in Virginia with family there...

Richmond or Petersburg?

That was nasty.

Hope he pulls through, retires from driving and is able to stay involved and keep advancing the sport/business.

That sideways pancake into the wall at speed is the worst hit you can take. Not a lot of give or energy dissipated.

Plus the concussion of the engine blowing up. Buddy of mine was there. Racing for 60 years and he said it was the worst he's ever seen or heard.

So is a Nascar style wall in the wings?

At some point, the lawyers and insurance companies may get involved in that decision.

Even these Pro Mods and anything else over even 200 getting into the wall hard is a problem.

Tethering the bodies on the funny cars is a problem. Used to be the body would come off and take the fire with it. That was considered a feature, not a fault. Then the lawyers decided we can't have any parts exiting the racetrack and hitting spectators. Even if it means killing someone on the track.

If the body had come off when it blew up, he would likely have been able to see where he was, control the car and been OK

No one has said officially, that I am aware of.

Speculation is VCU Medical Center in Richmond. A Level 1 Trauma Center.