Southern California drag racer John Force moved to outpatient care weeks after a frightening 300-mph crash that left the 16-time NHRA champ hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, his family said this week.
The 75-year-old Force, who was born in Bell Gardens and lives in Yorba Linda, was back home Monday after 15 days in a Virginia hospital and a stint at a rehabilitation center in Arizona, his family said.
Force was discharged from the Barrow Neurological Institute, where he had been rehabbing since early July, according to the statement. He will receive outpatient treatment and speech, occupational and physical therapy for lingering short-term memory and cognitive issues while recovering at home, the statement continued.
“Peace out Phoenix! After 30 days my dad is finally heading home where we will continue outpatient therapy,” Brittany Force posted on Instagram. “These next steps to recovery will definitely be a family effort!”
Force suffered a traumatic brain injury, fractured his sternum and injured his right wrist June 23 in the crash on his first-round run in Funny Car eliminations at the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. After his engine exploded at the finish line, the car crossed the strip’s centerline and slammed into the driver’s side left concrete guard wall. The car then careened back across the track and hit the other wall.
Force suffered a traumatic brain injury, fractured his sternum and injured his right wrist June 23 in the crash on his first-round run in Funny Car eliminations at the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. After his engine exploded at the finish line, the car crossed the strip’s centerline and slammed into the driver’s side left concrete guard wall. The car then careened back across the track and hit the other wall.
Force, who attended Cerritos College, was alert and talking to safety workers immediately after the fiery crash. He was examined by an NHRA medical team before he was airlifted from the track.
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