John Force violent crash
 

About 1/2 hour ago. I hope he is ok.
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I was just about to post about this.

He was moving about and talking while on the stretcher. Airlifted to hospital.

He seemed to be in far better shape than what one would expect from such a violent wreck.

Wow...

For sure. That impact would have broken every bone in my body. Scary.

He sat up for just a moment on the stretcher. A tough guy for sure.

Testament to the safety built into those cars. Scary.

Hard hit. Looks like he won the round, is that correct?

That dude will still be talking when he's dead, and will be given a special room in the afterlife to preserve everyone else's sanity, because John is a Force of nature.

So true!

Any word on his condition?

Tough hits, no doubt. He had a big wreck many years ago didn’t he? How old is he?

It will take more than that to keep him quite.

He had a bad one in 07. 58 then, 75 now, I think. He has won 2 events so far this year. Thats getting the job done.

A real testament to roll cages, fire suits, helmets and all the safety gear. I presume the on-board fire extinguisher was going off.

I thought I heard/read a year ago that he decided to not drive anymore.....just let his daughter do that part?

You’d think a guy at 75 would have more wisdom than to strap himself to a bomb with wheels and light it up on purpose.

But that’s just me.

Again, at the risk of getting flamed, if the job is to make the car go faster quicker why do they still put a guy in it? A computer won’t feel no pain if the thing goes sideways.

Just sayin’.

I get the competition, the bravery and stuff but at some point it becomes pointless, IMO.

No, he did say a few weeks ago that Austin Prock will take over when he quits.

Bet that would give you some wicked seat belt bruises.
Everything broken loose on that 250mph wreck is a threat to the driver's safety.

Are funny cars really designed to survive a 330mph (or 200mph) crash?
Not in the same way a Nascar is designed to survive it's top speed crash scenarios.

You either get it or you dont. Its not just a mechanical thing.

I've seen some hairy drag racing crashes before but never one like that! :eek:
Its not about the job. Its about the rush. Folks like him are adrenaline junkies and the risk is part of the "fun". Same with Indycar drivers, skydivers, extreme mountain climbers...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nhra-legend-john-force-taken-to-hospital-after-funny-car-engine-explodes/ar-BB1oKoGx?ocid=BingNewsSerp

"Force, 75, had just won his heat with a 302 mph run at Virginia Motorsports Park when his engine exploded..."

Yeah.

I get all that. I admire it, actually. So I’m not dissing it. It’s a huge challenge which is what propels us forward.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone, which was not my intent. Maybe because I know I don’t have the stones to do such things, I compensate by questioning the relevance of it.

The interview with Prock afterwards was telling. It really shook him up to see that.

Looks like his cage worked at 302 MPH…

It looked to me like his fire suppression kept the flames down for a bit but was spent before he had the hard hit with the wall when the flames erupted again.

I hope he makes a full recovery and isn’t burnt too badly.

Kudos to the engineers that designed that cage and other safety gear.

I think you are correct on all points. I also think even a young man would be in the hospital after a crash like that. They will look at the car and find ways to make it safer. Most likely add more/bigger fire bottles.

I agree. The safety built into those cars is incredible!

I can see how your body would come out in one piece, but how do your organs not get jumbled?

It's amazing that he survived that crash!!! I can not imagine what it would feel like hitting a wall at 302 mph and on fire!!!
From what I understand, Force's cars are built in-house, so major, MAJOR props to the builders of those cars!!!

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at the :54-55 second mark.........where did his body go to, and then wind up?

That Cab is Totally Crushed.

I did a track day in one of my Porsches last week and was seeing about 125-130 at the end of the straights...........at least that's when I stop looking at the speedo, hah, and coming up fast to a wide sweeper corner at turn 1.

I simple cannot fathom traveling at 300 mph. Thats 440 feet per SECOND, how far ahead can you really read and see the track.

Or are you simply pointing the arrow and holding on for the launch.

I dont think he can leave the seat. It is molded to conform to his body. The body panel is covering him at .54. As I recall Force played a big part in driver safety design back in the 2000s.

John is going to be fine.

I still think a NASCAR cage provides much more protection than a funny car cage.
I enjoy watching all of them race too.
Nascar
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719256432.jpg
John's funny car.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719256464.jpg

I think its a bit disconcerting that there has been no update since he went into the ICU (intensive care unit). I hope he's ok but no update 24 hours later and 'intensive care unit' dont spell for a quick rebound.

I hope he's ok but the news (good or bad) has not been forthcoming.

Yea, I did a google search a 1/2 hour ago and came up with zilch. I hate that.

Actually, from a structural engineering point of view, that funny car cage is one hell of a lot more rigid than that NASCAR cage. Huge spans of unsupported tubing in that NASCAR cage compared to that funny car cage.

That said, really, have we ever seen either one fail in this modern day and age? Either one is going to survive impacts that would turn the human inside of them into a suit full of goo.

Anyway, I hope he is o.k. One of my true heroes of motorsport, and there are not many of those.

Remember that Mark Donahue was up and talking when he want to the hospital after his crash. No way a 75 year old can be rattled around like that and not have some sort of brain injury.

Yeah how do you protect from internal injuries at that speed?

You’re correct. He vowed to make dragsters/funny cars safer after his one of his drivers (Eric Medlen) was killed in a testing accident.

You may remember a few years ago that one of John Force's drivers was killed testing a funny car (Eric Medlin) and it was the helmet rattling around the cage that killed him. His brain couldn't handle the impacts. It was tire shake that killed him, not a crash. Let that sink in.

New safety equipment was immediately designed and mandated in every car, so maybe the new safety standards kept JF's brain from getting rattled around. Time will tell, and like has been said above, I'm not happy that there aren't some updates....

http://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/a-lasting-legacy-medlens-death-spurred-nhra-safety-gains


(edit, I just saw that Brian 162 just made the same point.)

Sixteen-time world champion John Force remained in the intensive care unit at a Virginia hospital Monday following a catastrophic engine failure that sent his Funny Car slamming into a concrete guardwall at 302 miles per hour during the first round of Sunday’s PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

After NHRA Safety Safari personnel extricated and stabilized the 16-time champion, he was transported by medical helicopter to a trauma hospital where he still was being observed and evaluated on Monday.

Attending doctors purposely were moving slowly in assessing the extent of the injuries to the Hall of Fame owner and driver because of the intensity of the impact. Medical staff will not provide a treatment and recovery timetable until a total evaluation is completed.

Force’s daughter Brittany, a two-time World Champion, was joined at the hospital by her mother, Laurie, and sisters, Adria, Ashley, and Courtney. The family will maintain a presence while the team competes this weekend in Norwalk, Ohio.

Updates on the 157-time tour winner’s condition will be released at the discretion of the medical staff.

^^^^^^^^^^ I just copied that from the NHRA site. Thats all we will get tonight.