During the first round of Funny Car eliminations Sunday, Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the centerline and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall.

Force was alert and talking to safety workers immediately after crashing at 302 mph. The Hall of Fame owner and driver was examined at the track by the NHRA medical team before being transported by helicopter to a hospital.

In 2007, at age 58, Force was seriously injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race at the highest level; three weeks ago in New Hampshire, Force raced to his record 157th NHRA victory and second of the season.

Earlier in June, Force raced to his record 157th NHRA victory at age 75, beating teammate Austin Prock in the Funny Car final at the NHRA New England Nationals. Force had a 4.081-second run at 319.29 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro SS, while Prock ran a 4.096 at 316.38.
Force won for the second time this season and the third time at New England Dragway. The 16-time Funny Car season champion also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, with the double-up victory Sunday pushing him to the season standings.