16-time NHRA champ John Force discharged from neurological institute following fiery June crash

John Force has been discharged from an inpatient neurological unit following the traumatic brain injury he suffered in his June crash at the Virginia Nationals.

The 75-year-old NHRA legend was discharged from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona on Tuesday and will continue outpatient rehab in his home state of California. Force had been hospitalized since the fiery crash. After his Funny Car’s engine exploded, Force’s car hit two outside retaining walls at high speed before coming to a stop.

“He finally gets to sleep in his own bed,” his daughter and former NHRA driver Ashley Force Hood said in a team statement.

John Force Racing said Force’s next steps would include “outpatient speech and OTPT (occupational and physical therapy) to address lingering short-term memory and cognitive issues” from the crash. The team has repeatedly said that Force has a “long road ahead” in his recovery from the vicious impacts.

Force was awake and communicating with NHRA safety workers after the crash but was immediately placed in an intensive care unit when he was hospitalized. The team has said that Force has experienced moments of confusion in the days and weeks after the crash because of his brain injury.

Force is a 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion and has won 157 races over the course of his storied drag racing career. He was second in the points standings at the time of his Virginia Nationals crash as he was looking for his first Funny Car title since 2013.