NHRA Legend John Force Will Not Race This Week at Norwalk

NHRA legend and 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, hospitalized this week after a violent explosion and crash last weekend at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals, will not be racing this weekend at Norwalk, Ohio.

The 75-year-old Force is not on the entry list for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. And according to an NHRA spokesman who spoke with Autoweek on Wednesday, no replacement driver is entered to drive Force's Funny Car during the June 27-30 event.

John Force Racing's other two cars—the Top Fuel dragster of two-time Top Fuel champ Brittany Force and the Funny Car of Austin Prock—are entered and expected at the starting line when qualifying begins for the nitro machines on Friday at 6 p.m., at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

John Force Racing has yet to disclose the extent of any injuries that Force suffered in the incident.

Force, in pursuit of his 17th Funny Car championship and first since 2013, is currently second in the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Funny Car standings. Prock leads with 824 points, while Force is second with 693.