NHRA drag racing great John Force has head injury, team says ‘long road’ to recovery ahead

RICHMOND, Va. — NHRA drag racing great John Force has a head injury and has been moved from a trauma intensive care unit to a neurological ICU four days after a fiery, 300 mph crash in at the Virginia Nationals. John Force Racing said Thursday that the move for the 75-year-old Force was a “welcome positive for his family members.” The statement said Force was improving, but faced a long road to recovery. During the first round of Funny Car eliminations Sunday, Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the centerline and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall. He has continued to race at the highest level; three weeks ago in New Hampshire, Force raced to his record 157th NHRA victory and second of the season.