commands and finally opened his eyes on day five ,” the statement continued . “ Following days of failed attempts , his wife and daughters were overcome with emotion when he murmured his name , ‘ John Force ,’ and later when prompted , gave a thumbs up .
“ The biggest challenge has been managing his extreme agitation and confusion , which causes him significant distress . He has repeatedly tried to get out of bed and has been restrained ; his doctors have humorously described him as a raging bull . However , he recognized his daughters , and wife , Laurie , and called them each by name . And spoke the words , ‘ I love you .’ This , along with continued daily progress , has uplifted their spirits .”
With the reassurance that one of the sport ’ s most beloved characters was on the mend , competitors in the NHRA Mission Foods Series got back to racing . Prock qualified No . 1 and appeared on track to get another win for Force , but Tasca stopped him with a . 001-second margin-of-victory holeshot win in the semifinals .
The fans – of which Force has legions in the Norwalk area – weren ’ t the only ones who noticed his absence at Norwalk . Many of his friends and fellow competitors gave him shoutouts in top-end interviews and post-race press releases .
“ It felt very weird this weekend not having the G . O . A . T . with us ,” said motorsports legend and Top Fuel rookie Tony Stewart . “ We are still thinking about John and their whole family . It ’ s a tough time for them and to not be at the track when you ’ re supposed to be at the track , it ’ s a hard feeling . It was great the team had the cars here and Austin [ Prock ] continued to race . I know John would want that . I ’ m glad John is plugging away .
September / October 2024
JOHN FORCE SUPERSTAR Be it lifelong fans or NHRA on FOX cameras , John Force ’ s pit area is a hotspot in the pits at any given NHRA national event .
He ’ s a tough guy and doesn ’ t have any quit in him .”
Four-time and reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan , who voiced his opposition of NHRA ’ s body tether rule in the days following Force ’ s crash , shared team owner Stewart ’ s sentiment as well after losing in the semifinals at Norwalk .
“ We ’ re praying for John Force . It ’ s just not the same out here without that guy ,” Hagan said . “ It was great news today to hear he had opened his eyes and was talking and knew who he and who the girls are . We ’ re thinking a lot about him . He ’ s a big part of drag racing out here . When you think about things like that , it keeps everything in perspective about how little it matters to lose a round . I know everyone is working towards making these cars even safer .”
Though Prock didn ’ t get another trophy for Force , the Funny Car winner did dedicate his victory to Force . Tasca , whose team had an alliance with JFR in the early days of his Funny Car career , picked up his second win of the season .
“ This morning when I woke up and I heard the positive news about John Force , it was like a weight was lifted off our shoulders ,” Tasca said . “ This place is special to John and I dedicate this win to John Force . He will be back and he ’ s the toughest guy I know .”
The good news surrounding Force ’ s recovery continued on July 5th when JFR announced that Force was moved out of neuro-intensive care and into acute neuro care to continue treating his traumatic brain injury and the other injuries suffered in the crash , including a fractured sternum and wrist injury . The update added that while he still dealt with cognitive and behavioral symptoms , the 75-yearold was able to converse with medical staff and family members . He also regained his equilibrium , allowing him to start walking with assistance .
Four days later , and 15 days after he entered the ICU at VCU Medical Center , Force was released from the Virginia hospital . He then boarded an AirMed helicopter for a three-hour flight to a neurological rehab center in Arizona to continue treatment for his TBI .
With her father making strides in his recovery , Brittany Force returned to action in her Flav- R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for the 35th NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle .
“ I ’ m glad to get back to the racetrack after a tough few weeks ,” said Brittany , who ran a special
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