PHOENIX — NHRA drag racing great John Force has been discharged from the hospital where he was undergoing rehabilitation for a traumatic brain injury sustained in a fiery, 300-mph crash at the Virginia Nationals last month.
The 75-year-old was released from Barrow Neurological Institute, according to a statement from John Force Racing on Tuesday.
“He finally gets to sleep in his own bed,” Ashley Hood, one of Force's daughters, said in the statement.
The 16-time Funny Car champion suffered traumatic brain injury and other injuries, including a fractured sternum, in the crash during the first round of Funny Car eliminations in June.
Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the center line and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall.
Force will work with therapists specializing in traumatic brain injuries on an outpatient basis in California.
In 2007, at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race at the highest level, earning his second win of the season and record 157th NHRA victory in New Hampshire.
Force’s daughter, Brittany, is a two-time world champion.
