The last time Brittany Force thundered down the dragstrip, a dark cloud floated over her head. Her father, John Force, had crashed his Funny Car in round one of the NHRA Virginia Nationals. She had won the first round, and even though she was slightly quicker than Tony Stewart in the second round, he drove past her at the finish line for the win. 

Force had grown up watching her Dad experience some hideous crashes; this one was different and ratcheted up to a level not even matched by his 2007 Dallas accident, which left him severely injured. Doctors were forced to heavily sedate Force as he healed from injuries sustained, including a Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI].

The second-generation drag racer joined her family at the hospital as her father slowly recovered. There were some tense moments as John failed to follow the series of commands to open his eyes, squeeze the hands of his care providers, and move his extremities. 

Force opted out of racing at the NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, to remain with her family and support her Dad. 

With her Dad now on the upswing in his recovery, Force will race the 
Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster this weekend at the NHRA Northwest Nationals.

“I’m glad to get back to the racetrack after a tough few weeks,” said the 38-year-old who set the Pacific Raceways speed record of 334.73 miles per hour last year. “It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for our family since Richmond, but my Dad has made great progress, and we are all so proud of him. He has transferred now to a rehabilitation center closer to home.”

Force hasn’t had a banner season but remains in the NHRA Top Fuel top ten point standings despite missing Norwalk. She stands 67 points behind No. 9 Tony Stewart and 104 behind No. 7 Billy Torrence with just four races remaining in the regular season phase.

“I want to thank (crew chief) David Grubnic, John Collins, and my team for their patience and support of my decision to stay with my father while racing continued in Norwalk,” she said. “Missing a race was tough, but I needed to be with my Dad and family. 

“I’m proud to be running our Flav-R-Pac dragster this weekend to honor our longtime partner, Frank Tiegs. He always reminded me to make sure I was still having fun because that is when you perform at your best. We won a championship together in 2022 and I’m proud to carry him and his family on the car this weekend. 

“Our team’s current focus is to improve our starting position in the Countdown,” said the 16-time tour winner. “We’ve made great strides in our last few races, and I’m eager to take that next step and put our Flav-R-Pac dragster in the winners’ circle for the Tiegs family and my dad!”

Force is drag racing because of the path paved by her famous father, and competing this weekend will be one she’ll have to do without him at the track. She is using the solo moment as inspiration to win the event she runner-upped in 2022.

“It’s going to be hard to not have my dad at the track with me this weekend,” Force said, “but I know he will be watching from his rehab facility. Watching him fight his way back is what now motivates me to get back into the winners’ circle.”