About a week ago funny car legend John Force was severely injured when his car’s engine exploded as he crossed the finishing line. The race was in Virginia. I learned about it last night while I was watching a recording of the races in Norwalk Ohio. I was impressed by the well wishes and love offered by his competition and other racers in funny car, top fuel, pro stock, and pro stock motorcycle. I saw Force’s head shot pasted on several cars in his honor. Force is alert and responding to requests from his family and doctors. The main issue seems to be brain injury and it’s great to read that he is regaining mental alertness this fast. Still a long way to go according to reports.
Drag racers are a family. A competitive one, but a family. When 10,000 hp blows up in a driver’s face they will rally around the injured.
Drag racing is a more dangerous sport than most people think.
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John Force is a true legend, one of the greats, and for people not in the know, he is 75 years young and was still driving 300+MPH most weekends…
For those that like the Pro Stock and Pro Mods (the fastest door slammers on the planet) will know the name Pat Musi and his mountain motors, current 959ci monsters… His daughter and Pro Mod no prep racer and street racer Lizzy Musi lost her battle to stage 4 breast cancer on June 27th at age 33, she was still racing a couple of months ago at least, she didn’t let it slow her down until the end… She was a roll model to many young lady’s wanting to get into drag racing…
So who is taken bets that John will be back racing as soon as the doctor releases him??
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hitting a wall at 300mph+ will ring anyone’s bell. He climbed out of the car, which is why it’s surprising to me that recovery is taking as long as it is.
of course, he is also over 70 years old.
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Traumatic brain injury, no broken bones. Hopefully the brain bruise heals.
I’ve known that for over 50 years. During the early 1970s I saw the driver’s cage blow off the back end of the top fueler when the clutch exploded. The winner crossed the finishing line, pulled to a stop at the end of the track, sat on the side and put his head in his hands. He stayed there a long, long time contemplating the fate of his friend caught in the explosion.
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That was probably Jim Nichols. The winner was Don Prudhomme, and he said at the time that he didn’t want to race anymore. The sight of the back of the broken car rolling and bumping to a stop overwhelmed him.
Jim Nichols was only knocked unconscious and attended Prudhomme’s victory dinner, a testament to how strong those car’s safety cages are.
Richard Hammond and his wife tell the story of the jet powered dragster crash that left him with a TBI, On The Edge is the title.
In my opinion nitro drag racing has gotten too fast and too loud. 0 too 300mph in 3 seconds is absurd, and you can’t listen to them anymore, as I enjoyed decades ago.
Put them on a low-profile slick. Eliminate all that excess sidewall. It would all but end tire shake, and would slow them considerably, at least for a while.
My 2 cents… worth every penny…
It was either a clutch or flywheel that caused Don Garlits to develop rear engine dragsters.
I finally looked up “no prep” racing. In 67 took my car to a popular, though unsanctioned, drag strip. I guess that qualified as “no prep”. Track offered very little traction.
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It blew half of his foot off.
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I don’t know anyone that has seen funny cars or top fuel in-person that thinks it’s safe. You’d be hard pressed to find any form of motorsports that “appears” as out-of-control as T/F or FC. There was nothing I wanted to do more than wrench on them or drive them the first time I saw nitro cars as a 12-year-old. If I’m being honest, there’s still nothing I’d rather do more.
I totally agree that TF & FC are both very dangerous, but on the flip side, safety has come a long way, look at how many races are run in Top Fuel and how many wrecks they have and explosions at every race event it seems like, yet the last on track death was Scott Kalitta on June 21, 2008 (I think), most of the 300+ MPH crashes the drivers walk away…Heck, just look at John Forces career and how many he walked away from… So it is pretty safe, the NHRA has VERY strict guide lines and a pretty good safety record…
But in the words of Jonathan Day (JJ Da Boss) from Memphis Street Racing (Street Outlaws), Every time you strap in that car, you had better be ready to die, cause it might be your last…
https://www.nhraracer.com/Files/Tech/2024%20NHRA%20Rulebook.pdf
TV Tommy Ivo said
In a funny car you feel like you’re out of control most of the time.
Randy Pobst, a professional driver that appears on Motortrend shows, said that if you aren’t scared, you aren’t driving fast enough.
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I said something similar about ski racing when I was a teenager. If you feel you are in control during the race, you’re not going fast enough.
Mario Andretti said something similar.
If you feel in control, you aren’t going fast enough!
Drag racing in the past was quite dangerous. If an axle shaft breaks on a hard pull, the car snaps sideways in an instant putting the car into the guardrail or the other car.
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