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.

As alert as he appeared on the stretcher post-accident, it would seem to suggest a brain bleed type injury with delayed symptoms. if he is still in ICU, all obviously very serious.

I saw that vid where they were loading him in the ambulance. Not sure I would call that alert.

One thing made obvious through all of this, even though I already knew it, the MSM is ignorant of drag racing. The names of his daughters get mix up, the terminology used makes it sound like a 10 year old is doing the reporting, even the description of the incident and what actually happened. Clearly not familiar with the sport. Ignorant people trying to write an intelligent article...

That’s where I would want to be. Great place…to NOT be unless needed!

New a car that was built by a friend of mine. He races and builds high end Chassis. He always said fire is one of, if not the worst thing. He has a car he built Pro Mod go over the wall and flipped plenty of times. NHRA took the car for Inspection and after came back to the drive and said to him go thank your Car Builder not one weld or Safety things came apart and that is why you are here. Going over 150 MPH can be a problem and the problem magnifies with HP. Prayers for John he is one of the good guys.

I keep seeing he is in an induced coma for brain swelling.

You have to remember Force has probably had more concussions than any NFL player in his career. Hopefully they can pull him out one more time.

Last thing I saw.

6/27/2024 UPDATE: JOHN FORCE IMPROVING, FACES LONG ROAD AHEAD
June 27, 2024 - UPDATE. NORWALK, Ohio. - Four days after his crash at more than 300 miles per hour, drag racing champion John Force has moved from the trauma intensive care unit to the neuro intensive care unit, where the medical team can focus on his head injury which is their primary concern.
The move was a welcome positive for his family members, who have maintained a daily presence at the hospital all week.
With the unanimous support of her family, team, and sponsors, Brittany Force is not planning to compete this week at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, where she would have driven the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster. Instead, she will remain at the hospital with her family in solidarity for her father.
Austin Prock will compete this weekend with the same courageous, fighting spirit that John has embodied and instilled in his teams over the years, and his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team will proudly carry the torch for the entire John Force Racing organization and sponsors this weekend.
The Force family are grateful for the team of medical professionals who are caring for John, and for the overwhelming number of heartfelt messages of prayer, support, and concern. Thank you for continuing to respect the privacy of the family and John Force Racing team members.

That was Nasty, Good luck John. I got to wonder if it is worth it, very scary .

Fair enough, but under the circumstances, eyes open seemingly aware of your surroundings, sitting up, etc, indicated likely no likely broken bones, spinal issues, neck injuries, lacerations, etc
That leaves the only main concern in a hard impact, that I mentioned, brain bleeding injury, which can be serious, but the best thing, emergency trauma care was immediate.
Research how racer Mark Donohue succumbed and be glad that mistake has been headed off here,

Al - thank you for the update.

And I hope Austin Prock cleans house at the next race, so the family has something to left their spirits.

I can remember seeing him broke down on interstate 10 in a mid 1960 one ton flatbed car hauler going to a match race in Tuscon, AZ hauling this Brute Force funny car, I didn't stop as there were 4 or 5 other cars already stop to help them.
I was going to a NHRA division 7 points race in one of my old ( older than his ) car haulers in Phoenix AZ, this was in early 1979, I heard the next day who it was and where they were going.
My message is he has earned everything he has gotten from drag racing; He has helped our sport immensely

Around 2005 I was eating breakfast alone at a very popular local restaurant in Jensen Beach Florida called "Mary's". As was common for me I was reading one of the 3 Mopar mags.
At the next table a boomer age dinner was eating with his wife, and saw my reading material and started a car conversation.
He next sat at my table. He was a hardcore Mopar aficionado from Connecticut? and we talked for over a half hour, I'm sure I was not earning any points with his wife.
We covered a lot of ground in a friendly conversation. Near the end, he without any prompting said I reminded him of John Force.
Not sure then I took it as a compliment,
I do today.

I hope he's ok.... but I hope he's done. his multi team "team orders" [censored] needs to die.

At his age, with this type of injury, anymore racing would be suicidal, and I doubt the NHRA would allow it, no matter who he is.

Get well, Force!

I think the explosion added to that possible injury. if you look at the dragster body/shell, it did not break apart and seemed to have contained the explosion, unable to disperse the pressure. Unlike other engine explosions, first time I seen a body shatter, yet stay intact.

The bodies are now tethered to the cars in an effort to not allow flying parts to injure the crowd. Another decision I assume based on lawyers and insurance companies.

could that be enforced with a doctor's sign off ?
however, i do agree. having one's "bell rang" hard at that age, racing should probably be curtailed, and if one still needed to be involved, giving guidance and knowledge would be the best thing to be doing.
as being in the same age group, i find it harder to get the physical things done required by life in general, and i can just imagine what would be my outcome if i were to be involved in something of this magnitude he went through.

I would have to think that if they sent him where they did, they are looking at issues a little more involved than just a concussion.

I hope I'm wrong.

I'm wondering if he is talking to the nurses and Dr. like he talks to the T.V. interviewers
If so they may think he has brain damage not knowing that is his normal way of talking
Get Well Soon, John

Too Early

Latest update, he was really hurt and has a Traumatic Brain Injury , but is making recovery:

https://www.nhra.com/news/2024/john-force-moving-forward-recovery-process

Imo the John Force "raging Bull" persona was quite evident on video as they were placing him on the stretcher post accident and he sat right up without much effort and had the WTH look of, "guys, I got another run to make".

Normal with severe closed head injuries. You usually have maybe an hour before they disappear, if that. All depends on the situation . .

Read up on it.

I mentioned this potential scenario following your 3rd post here on this thread.
I thought I was clear.

This came up on my suggested youtube videos a few minutes ago.

So I see.

You'll have to excuse me. I don't hang on your every word.

Np problem, and neither do I.

great to hear he is on the mend !

Sorry about the bogus link.

""a man has got to know his limitations" Dirty Harry Magnum Force

Funny, I don't see anything about this where I would expect to, like the NHRA or JFR sites.

-->https://competitionplus.com/<--

If you really want to know....

I saw a post on FB from a site claiming to be Btiranny's, but I think it's a bogus site.
Haven't seen anything from news or motorsports sites after checking a few.

Saw an announcement yesterday that was on Brittney's X account about his retirement. It was a fake account.