John Force Makes First Return To NHRA Dragstrip Since Brutal Crash In June

Like people who wait for the top of the hour to get a glimpse of the little bird pop out of the cuckoo clock for a brief appearance, drag racing fans were eager to see NHRA Funny Car legend John Force in his return to the racetrack for the first time since his debilitating crash at the Virginia Nationals on June 23.

They got their wish on Friday during the first qualifying session of the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force made his first public appearance since the accident that left him with a traumatic brain Injury. He stood at the starting line between his two Funny Cars as Austin Prock and his own substitute, Jack Beckman, closed the session as the class’ provisional top two qualifiers.

Flanked by former Funny Car-driving daughter Courtney and NTT IndyCar Series racer and son-in-law Graham Rahal, Force wore jeans, a black shirt, and a nylon vest and sported a cast/splint on his right wrist.

“He's therapy for us,” Prock said.

Force revisited the starting line to watch daughter Brittany Force race to the top of the provisional leaderboard in her first Top Fuel run of the weekend. However, he remained safe in his familiar surroundings, without any interaction with the media or fans.

Force is not expected to address the media this weekend.