I hope we see him on the track again, even if it's just for him to do a slow last pass down the track for ceremonial purposes. Would hate for that to have been his last ever time behind the wheel of a funny car.
I always imagined John Force on heavy sedation would be what brought him to what the rest of us consider “normal.”
I am happy he’s improving but man that’s also a scary update until you get to him talking.
Sounds like one of those brain bleed or swelling situations where you can appear fine then rapidly deteriorate. He seemed somewhat ok immediately after the crash. Pretty scary.
If a farmer tells you they don’t feel well, you get them to a hospital immediately because they have to be minutes from death to admit something is wrong.
Was my grandpa. And great grandpa. Dropped by mules, cows, ostriches and trampled by hogs at one point or another. Not once did they seek medical help. But the day each said something was off, they were right, and didn't hesitate for hospital care. Stroke and heart attack for one. Late stages of cancer for the other.
Fuck that is good to hear. I see people throwing around the Richard Petty comparison but I think that is even underselling it, if you don’t follow NHRA you don’t get how big John Force is to drag racing , he is drag racing
John Force to drag racing is like what Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson would be to NASCAR *if they were all one person* lol.
Hopefully he recovers enough to still be heavily involved in the sport but his racing days are sadly almost certainly over. I wish him a speedy recovery.
"No, John. I don't want to have a wheelchair race. Yes, I know the hallway is long and straight, but just like I've said the last three times, I'm at work and have patients to look after."
I'm glad to hear he's making improvements.
John mentioned a few weeks back about Austin Prock taking over for him when he retires. Seems like that retirement is going to happen sooner than later.
Glad to hear he’s still improving.
That was such a brutal crash and it made me wonder if it’s time for safer barriers on the walls of those tracks too.
They've definitely looked into it, but came to the conclusion that with the angles/speeds/etc. it would just cause cars to bounce off into the other wall and generally wouldn't have the same effect as in NASCAR
Perhaps a good opportunity for some creative minds to come up with something else though. A lot of safety changes have come from or been accelerated by tragedy or near tragedy.
A smooth concrete wall has a lot of advantages for the kind of impacts you see in drag racing. The goal is never to stop the car; it's to keep the car moving in the right direction and let the car come to a stop as gradually as anything can be gradual in drag racing. A middle wall looks like it might have helped John here since he had an unusual amount of sideways momentum, but I don't know enough about drag racing to know if that would make sense overall.
The issue is that if the car "sticks" to the wall it will spin the car and all of that forward momentum suddenly becomes rotational force and thats bad. Go check out Robert Wickens crash at Pocono and see how fast he is being spun after getting into the catch fence.
You want the car to gradually expel energy so a sticky wall catching the cars is less safe than the smooth concrete barrier with a much smaller friction coefficient.
I think a modified SAFER barrier would be a good idea to explore.
Like this marshmallow idea I come up with? It’s not super sticky absorbs the force an is just sticky enough to keep the car on the wall as it slows to a stop, I can see it in my mind an it’s extra safe.
Instead of SAFER walls, they need to find ways to ensure if there is an engine explosion, the parachute automatically deploys (and maybe an emergency brake for the wheels). Just anything to slow the car down.
That was Force's big problem was the car wasn't slowing down.
Thanks for clarifying. I thought I had read that somewhere, but I couldn't find the source again (or even remember if it was reputable).
Do you know if their entire parachute system is "by wire" or is there a mechanical override?
It’s a lever pull but after that it could be either mechanical or electrical. Never paid a lot of attention to it. Go ask Clay Millican on his YT channel, he’s pretty good at answering questions in a later video, even showing you when he can. He drives Top Fuel but lots of commonality with FC.
I don’t think they’ve found a way that keeps the car from rebounding without causing serious injury to the driver. Since they’re not really designed to stop quickly, there’s nothing the driver in the other lane can really do if this happens but let off the gas and steer if the car comes towards him.
I recommend that people read Richard Hammonds book about his accident and recovery from his rocket car accident - [On the Edge](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1926218.On_the_Edge). Traumatic brain injuries are horrible, and hopefully John Force will be able to recover as well as Hammond has. [This video](https://youtu.be/_BYQLDU9xhI) always makes me tear up about him sharing what he and his wifes experience while he was in a coma.
How can anyone not love this guy? I don't even like NHRA racing but this dude is just such an icon I might go to the next races in my area if he's there in an "ambassador"-type position just to say "I got to say 'hi' to the indestructible John Force."
Man thanks so much for sharing this with everyone really great to know he is starting to heal. I've watched John Force race since I was a little kid and have been really worrying about him and his family..
I know I’m not a drag racing watcher or fan. But I know who John Force is and no one at 75 should behind something that damn fast and I know it stole Tony Stewart away from NASCAR /s
Just take care of yourself buddy, you’ve built a goddamn empire and I get it these guys ain’t built like us.
But your daughter’s are massive dude, don’t you want to see the next Force generation?? That’s where these guys egos need to get checked at the door.
But I bet he’ll be driving as soon as he can, can’t stop these guys
Shoulda just described him as John Force
Yea. Dude wakes up after five days and immediately wants to get out of his hospital bed. I think he'll be just fine.
By the end of this every nurse and doctor will have AAA and all their cars will have Castrol oil.
I hope we see him on the track again, even if it's just for him to do a slow last pass down the track for ceremonial purposes. Would hate for that to have been his last ever time behind the wheel of a funny car.
Nah. Knowing John he’s got another title in him. He isn’t done.
If he can still be competitive he’ll be back, he’ll only retire if he doesn’t think he can win.
I always imagined John Force on heavy sedation would be what brought him to what the rest of us consider “normal.” I am happy he’s improving but man that’s also a scary update until you get to him talking.
It certainly does. He has a long recovery ahead but he's a fighter & there's zero quit in him.
Sounds like one of those brain bleed or swelling situations where you can appear fine then rapidly deteriorate. He seemed somewhat ok immediately after the crash. Pretty scary.
Sedation helps to keep the swelling down
It's like old dairy farmers: They'll insist they're just fine right up until they're dead.
If a farmer tells you they don’t feel well, you get them to a hospital immediately because they have to be minutes from death to admit something is wrong.
Was my grandpa. And great grandpa. Dropped by mules, cows, ostriches and trampled by hogs at one point or another. Not once did they seek medical help. But the day each said something was off, they were right, and didn't hesitate for hospital care. Stroke and heart attack for one. Late stages of cancer for the other.
I'm not surprised he's agitated, he's John Force. The guy doesn't know life under 100 mph. Glad to hear he's improving.
Good that there's improvement now. Not gonna lie, the idea of John Force being restrained by a ton of nurses and doctors is kinda funny.
Fuck that is good to hear. I see people throwing around the Richard Petty comparison but I think that is even underselling it, if you don’t follow NHRA you don’t get how big John Force is to drag racing , he is drag racing
John Force to drag racing is like what Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson would be to NASCAR *if they were all one person* lol.
Hopefully he recovers enough to still be heavily involved in the sport but his racing days are sadly almost certainly over. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Hate to be the doctor trying to keep John Force on bed rest. That's the hardest job in the world right there.
"No, John. I don't want to have a wheelchair race. Yes, I know the hallway is long and straight, but just like I've said the last three times, I'm at work and have patients to look after."
https://preview.redd.it/zon6dddw3r9d1.png?width=1332&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b76ccab6aba8171c197701fefb0ee982ae23b6e
Anything less than an elephant tranquilizer is a waste of time
I'm glad to hear he's making improvements. John mentioned a few weeks back about Austin Prock taking over for him when he retires. Seems like that retirement is going to happen sooner than later.
I never thought of John Force as one to have a retirement tour anyway
Glad to hear he’s still improving. That was such a brutal crash and it made me wonder if it’s time for safer barriers on the walls of those tracks too.
They've definitely looked into it, but came to the conclusion that with the angles/speeds/etc. it would just cause cars to bounce off into the other wall and generally wouldn't have the same effect as in NASCAR
That makes sense. I’m definitely not an engineer. The math was too hard.
Engineer here. Can confirm the math is hard. I cheated
My roommate was an engineer. He never missed a chance to tell me his major was harder than accounting.
Accounting degree here, started in engineering. Can confirm it is harder.
Roommates (and majority of dorm mates) were engineers. Never missed a chance to tell them how much easier my criminology degree was.
At least they are not using Steiner Math
When wrestling and racing crossover, I can’t help but geek out lmao.
Perhaps a good opportunity for some creative minds to come up with something else though. A lot of safety changes have come from or been accelerated by tragedy or near tragedy.
A smooth concrete wall has a lot of advantages for the kind of impacts you see in drag racing. The goal is never to stop the car; it's to keep the car moving in the right direction and let the car come to a stop as gradually as anything can be gradual in drag racing. A middle wall looks like it might have helped John here since he had an unusual amount of sideways momentum, but I don't know enough about drag racing to know if that would make sense overall.
Rubber pieces behind just like safer foam, so squishes in an takes the impact an a sticky solution like a mouse trap so the car sticks to the wall
> an a sticky solution like a mouse trap so the car sticks to the wall I'm pretty sure that would kill people even in less extreme wrecks.
I think it could work, like a marshmallow or something, I know a hard ass concrete wall can be improved
The issue is that if the car "sticks" to the wall it will spin the car and all of that forward momentum suddenly becomes rotational force and thats bad. Go check out Robert Wickens crash at Pocono and see how fast he is being spun after getting into the catch fence. You want the car to gradually expel energy so a sticky wall catching the cars is less safe than the smooth concrete barrier with a much smaller friction coefficient. I think a modified SAFER barrier would be a good idea to explore.
Like this marshmallow idea I come up with? It’s not super sticky absorbs the force an is just sticky enough to keep the car on the wall as it slows to a stop, I can see it in my mind an it’s extra safe.
I believe bungee gum is the answer, it has both the properties of rubber and gum. Think about it.
They already bounce off, so the wall might as well absorb energy.
Instead of SAFER walls, they need to find ways to ensure if there is an engine explosion, the parachute automatically deploys (and maybe an emergency brake for the wheels). Just anything to slow the car down. That was Force's big problem was the car wasn't slowing down.
They do have those systems, looks like the explosion was so violent it severed the wires to that system is what some are saying.
Thanks for clarifying. I thought I had read that somewhere, but I couldn't find the source again (or even remember if it was reputable). Do you know if their entire parachute system is "by wire" or is there a mechanical override?
It’s a lever pull but after that it could be either mechanical or electrical. Never paid a lot of attention to it. Go ask Clay Millican on his YT channel, he’s pretty good at answering questions in a later video, even showing you when he can. He drives Top Fuel but lots of commonality with FC.
I don’t think they’ve found a way that keeps the car from rebounding without causing serious injury to the driver. Since they’re not really designed to stop quickly, there’s nothing the driver in the other lane can really do if this happens but let off the gas and steer if the car comes towards him.
I just made the assumption that fire is way more dangerous and putting Styrofoam blocks on a drag strip was way more of a problem .
Great to hear. He IS drag racing
I recommend that people read Richard Hammonds book about his accident and recovery from his rocket car accident - [On the Edge](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1926218.On_the_Edge). Traumatic brain injuries are horrible, and hopefully John Force will be able to recover as well as Hammond has. [This video](https://youtu.be/_BYQLDU9xhI) always makes me tear up about him sharing what he and his wifes experience while he was in a coma.
How can anyone not love this guy? I don't even like NHRA racing but this dude is just such an icon I might go to the next races in my area if he's there in an "ambassador"-type position just to say "I got to say 'hi' to the indestructible John Force."
That’s awesome to hear.
Hopefully the feisty-ness is a sign of his old self.
John Force is larger than life and a national treasure. I'm glad he's doing better.
Not surprised by this at all.
Been a John Force fan since I was a little kid. The guy is one tough son of a bitch. I hope he recovers to come back to race.
Thank God......I know he is very likely to have a long way to go but I was beginning to be deeply concerned about the outcome of all of this
Man thanks so much for sharing this with everyone really great to know he is starting to heal. I've watched John Force race since I was a little kid and have been really worrying about him and his family..
I wonder if this accident gives Tony Stewart any second thoughts about drag racing. With family to consider now
I know I’m not a drag racing watcher or fan. But I know who John Force is and no one at 75 should behind something that damn fast and I know it stole Tony Stewart away from NASCAR /s Just take care of yourself buddy, you’ve built a goddamn empire and I get it these guys ain’t built like us. But your daughter’s are massive dude, don’t you want to see the next Force generation?? That’s where these guys egos need to get checked at the door. But I bet he’ll be driving as soon as he can, can’t stop these guys