VIDEO: John Force, JR Todd Okay After Nasty NHRA Funny Car Crash at Pomona

NHRA Funny Car racers John Force and JR Todd are okay following their nasty qualifying collision Saturday during the Lucas Oil Winternationals at Southern California’s In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Force’s Peak Chevy Camaro got out of shape in the right lane and past the finish stripe crossed the center line into Todd’s lane, behind him. He came up on Todd’s left, then crossed in front of Todd. Their parachutes became entangled, and Todd was dragged to his right as Force’s car plowed into the right-side wall.

“It had been moving around,” Force said of his race car. Them boy, all of a sudden it struck the tires and made a hard left on me and hit the wall. That caused a ricochet, and it came across [the track]. I saw JR’s ‘chutes, and I thought I only got the header. I didn’t realize how hard I shoved him into the wall. I’m sorry about that. I’m OK. He’s OK. That most important. We’re both just trying to stay in the show. I don’t think I overdrove it . . . but I’ll have to look at the video. I’m smarter than that. I’m just sorry to hit his car.”

Todd said, “I’m more mad than anything,” because his DHL Toyota Supra was a brand-new car. “The thing’ awesome to drive. Really picked up our performance. Now we’ve got to unload the back-up car and an old body.”

He said, “Came up on the finish line, get the ‘chutes out like I normally do, come up on the speed cone, ‘chutes hit, and the next thing I know I feel someone on my left side, which is kind of odd, being in the left lane. There’s not much room between the car and the wall.”

Force’s team had to use its back-up car, as well.