John Force has retired from racing
BROWNSBURG, IND. — After 47 seasons behind the wheel of his NHRA dragster, John Force has officially retired from racing.
John Force, the 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion and the winningest driver in NHRA history, announced his retirement in a video posted to social media Thursday. It comes after a crash at the Virginia Nationals on June 23, 2024, left the 75-year-old (at the time) sidelined with a traumatic brain injury.
“I’ve said so many times, ‘Until this race car kills me, they’re gonna have to drag me out of the seat.’ But the truth is, I was dragged out of the seat at Richmond and they thought it killed me then. I’m lucky that I’m back walking,” Force said.
Force is an understatement when describing the legendary driver who has spanned generations of racing fans — from young kids who saw his later years to their great-grandparents who first saw him come in to others in between. He won the NHRA Funny Car championship in 1990-91, 1993-2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2013 and racked up 157 event wins, 269 final round appearances and a total of 1,460 round wins.
“I really love NHRA but I am officially done with driving,” said Force. They always say never say never but I have grandchildren with [daughter] Courtney and Graham [Rahal], with [daughter] Ashley and Danny [Hood] and now Brittany [Force]’s retired because she wants to have children.”
Now 76 years old, Force acknowledged not only where he is at in life with his family but also his health.
“It’s time for me to retire. I had medical stuff that I had to address,” he said. ” ‘Do I want to get back in the car and get hit in the head?’ and I don’t. So, I guess it’s official, I’m done. I won’t say I won’t ever get in a car to warm it up or maybe even make a burnout. Don’t know. I guess it’ll be the response from the fans. If they cheer loud enough, I’ll hear ya.”
Force has been through a lot in his 47 years of racing. ESPN’s Ryan McGee posted on social media Force’s entry into ESPN Magazine’s Body issue where he posed in a manner that showed his crash scars he had accumulated over the years.
Tributes to John Force
Categories
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com