Quote: DALLAS (AP) — Drag-racing star John Force's prognosis was "very good" Monday after six hours of surgery following a wreck Sunday at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.
Force has a compound fracture of his left ankle, a lacerated right knee, a dislocated left wrist and abrasions on two fingers on his right hand. He had screws inserted into his ankle and temporary pins placed in his wrist, said David Densmore, publicist for John Force Racing.
Densmore said Force will miss the rest of the NHRA season, which has three scheduled dates remaining in Richmond, Va., Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. Force is fourth in the Funny Car standings.
"He's doing fine," Densmore said. "He had six hours of surgery yesterday evening and came through it very well. Surgeons did all the repairs in one session and the prognosis is very good."
Force, a 14-time champion, wrecked Sunday while racing Funny Car rival Kenny Bernstein. A video of the accident shows Bernstein's car drifting toward Force's lane and striking a foam timing block, which shot into the back of Force's car. Force swerved across Bernstein's lane into the retaining wall. Bernstein then rammed into Force's car, breaking the chassis in two.
The NHRA is investigating the accident, NHRA spokesman Anthony Vestal said. Several laboratories will examine parts of the tires and broken chassis.
Force, 58, was airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where he underwent surgery. He was alert and conscious following the accident and a CT scan came back negative for internal injuries, team spokesman Elon Werner said.
Daughter Ashley Force, also a Funny Car driver, pulled out of the semifinals. John Force, who won his race with Bernstein, could have met her in the finals for the first time had both won, Densmore said.
"I am sure that he will be somewhat depressed when he realizes his circumstances," Densmore said. "He had just driven his way into contention for another championship."
Force's wife, Laurie; Ashley; and son-in-law Robert Hight — also a Funny Car driver — were with him at the hospital.
Force and his four daughters are the subjects of a reality TV show on A&E called "Driving Force." Three of his daughters are drivers and one is an executive in John Force Racing.
Force has suffered at least one other serious accident in more than three decades of racing, Densmore said. A 1992 accident in Memphis, left Force with second-degree burns on his face and hands.
Hi Skid Row,
The orange "cones" are styrofoam blocks. They had no cause in this accident. The chassis was cut in half. Engine/clutch failure are more likely the culprit. If you see a good video, follow Force's chutes. Thats where he is. The front half of the car is what the other car, Kenny Berstein, hit. Sure glad John Force was not in that part of the car. John Force was up, and putting weight, on his ankle today. Here's to a speedy recovery for John Force.
RTJ49
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1998 Ford Explorer Our Foretravel
FORCE CONTINUES TO RECOVER; CONSIDERS ‘TUB’ TO PROTECT DRIVER
DALLAS, Texas – While he is thankful for changes to his race car that protected his head and neck in a spectacular crash last week at the Texas Motorplex, drag racing icon John Force said Sunday that his next goal is to promote the development of a protective “tub” that might help mollify leg and foot injuries like those from which he is recovering at Baylor University Medial Center.
“I had no head injuries, no neck injuries, no back injuries, no bleeding, not a even a Band-Aid on anything but my hands and feet,” Force said, crediting changes to the cockpit that followed the tragic death of teammate Eric Medlen in a testing accident last March at Gainesville, Fla. “The next issue is to put the driver in an Indy Car-type monocoque that protects his legs.
“I wish I could explain it to you, but I don’t fully understand it myself. Bottom line, I’ve got the best people in the world working on it. I’ve got John Medlen, Eric’s dad, who heads up the Eric Medlen Project. I’ve got 15 Ford engineers, Dr. John Melvin and all the crew chiefs. Every day, they call here and give input to Robert (Hight, Force’s son-in-law and driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang) because I can’t be on the phone with everybody. If I have an hour a day, I’m lucky.
“You know, we did start on a tub three, four months ago when Eric crashed,” Force said, “but we got so busy dealing with cockpit issues – extra padding, the seven-point belt, new head-and-neck restraints – that there just wasn’t time (to complete the project) and that’s why I’m here.”
Force, drag racing’s most prolific winner with 125 NHRA POWERade tour victories and 14 Funny Car championships, suffered a compound fracture of the left ankle, broken toes and a broken bone in his right foot, broken and mangled fingers on his right hand and a dislocated left wrist when his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang suffered a tire failure at 300 miles per hour.
When the tire blew, the chassis came apart with the front half veering into the lane occupied by rival Kenny Bernstein, hitting his Dodge Charger; the back half coming to rest, with Force still strapped inside, against the left guardwall.
Force’s injuries were addressed in six hours of surgery last Sunday night by Dr. Michael Foreman, chief of trauma services at Baylor, orthopedic traumatologist Dr. Alan Jones and orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Zehr, a specialist in hand injuries. The 14-time Auto Racing All-America selection’s prognosis for a full recovery is excellent.
Dr. Jones, who used three screws to repair Force’s damaged left ankle, also tended to the leg injuries suffered by IRL driver Kenny Brack in his 2003 accident at Texas Motor Speedway.
Once Force is released from Baylor, likely either Monday or Tuesday, he will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., to consult with his crew chiefs about the chassis changes and with with Dr. Terry Trammell, an orthopedist specializing in motor racing injuries.
Force’s goal is to travel to Richmond, Va., for this week’s TORCO Racing Fuels Nationals to provide moral support for Hight, who is prominently in contention for the $500,000 POWERade Championship. Nevertheless, he said Sunday that he will abide by whatever Drs. Jones and Trammell believe is best.
“The first car that rolls out (of the McKinney Corporation chassis works) will be Robert’s,” Force said. “The second one was intended to be mine because I really thought that I’d be driving (at Richmond). Now I know that’s not gonna happen. I haven’t given up on driving at Las Vegas or Pomona, but if they docs say no, I’m just gong to do what they say so that I’ll be ready for testing in January.”
“We’re working with Murf McKinney to get the changes done,” Force said, “but his people are on overload because there are other guys in line to make the same changes. Ashley’s car (the Castrol GTX Ford driven by 24-year-old rookie Ashley Force) is in that line. So is a car for our newest driver, Mike Neff.”
The fix includes the addition of an X-shaped cross member for strength plus additional bracing designed to insure that if there is another such incident, the chassis won’t break at a point that leaves the driver’s legs exposed like Force’s were.
“Safety still is the big issue,” Force said. “I’ll evaluate what they’ve gotten done when I get to Indy. As far as Robert Hight and the championship, he will be our lead car. He will be in Richmond with changes made to his car – all the new stuff that we can possibly put on it.”
Hight, the 2005 winner of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award that identifies the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year, presently is second in Funny Car points behind Dallas winner Tony Pedregon
“You don’t need four Funny Cars to win a championship,” Force said. “We won five championships with one car. We didn’t add a second car until 1996. If Robert has to take this on by himself, there’s no reason why he can’t still win it all. (How many other Fords are in the Richmond field) depends on what the crew chiefs tell me and how much McKinney can get done.”
At some point NHRA is going to have to find some
way of limiting (changing) engine size, modifications, (or?) -
in order to put some kind of a cap on ET/Speed.
Drivers are simply pointing a "bullet" in top fuel and funny car,
with little or no time to react to any problems.
Those "bullets" keep getting faster & quicker.
JC
After starting the season with 4 cars, they are down to running 1 car this weekend. Ashley's car is having mods done to it John is out and no car, And They lost Eric Medlin earlier in the season.
I am guessing you'll see a lot of mods in funny car and top fuel by the beginning of next season.
I can remember back about 1954 0r 55 going to the Santa Ana drags on Sunday in Orange county (no not the Orange county raceway) and top speeds were in the low 140s
ol Bombero-JC wrote: Tres - thanks for the update.
At some point NHRA is going to have to find some
way of limiting (changing) engine size, modifications, (or?) -
in order to put some kind of a cap on ET/Speed.
Drivers are simply pointing a "bullet" in top fuel and funny car,
with little or no time to react to any problems.
Those "bullets" keep getting faster & quicker.
JC
I disagree.
I feel "speed and safety" have always gone hand in hand in drag racing. If one gets to far out the other soon catches up. And the sport always is better and safer after. A lot of good people stay on top of this all the time. I've heard this statement before when speeds weren't as fast. Look at the sport now, it's better all around. Safety has come along ways from the beginning of drag racing and will always continue. I feel "caps" are not the answer.
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I would agree with you. The sport is extremely safe, all things considered. Safety is the number one issue, and always has been. It is the reason that NHRA & IHRA exists today. As anyone with even a passing interest in drag racing knows, there have been some horrific crashes, especially in the pro ranks, and almost always, the driver walks away wondering how he is going to make the next race. Yes, people get injured, and sadly, killed in this sport. Those occasions are for the most part, very rare.
Although important, finding the cause and preventing a recurrence of John's wreck is not nearly as important as working to make sure the driver survives the next time something like that happens. The drivers and their teams are dedicated to getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. The NHRA & IHRA are dedicated to making sure they arrive safely.
Michcruiser60 - You don't have to worry! Too much $$ involved!
DragginRat - Don't doubt the (safety issue) a bit.
Speed & Safety "hand-in-hand":
Remember when NHRA banned fuel due to accidents (etc.)?
Racers were looking for other sanctioning bodies. Attendance dropped.
Attendance -AND- revenue dropped!
NHRA re-thought their "position".
I remember when a top fuel dragster went eight (8) seconds in the QM.
HRM and the supposed folks "in the know" said it would be impossible
to -EVER- break (lower) that mark.
So, let's suppose the same is true now.
How about a -THREE- second QM? Impossible? Beats me!
But I sure don't think the driver's reaction time will be commensurate
with the ET if things go wrong between the start and finish line.
Maybe an ejection seat/pod.
JC
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