On a Pacific Raceways track on which he has won a record nine times, most recently in 2019, John Force won’t have the opportunity to reach double-digit success during this week’s 35th NHRA Northwest Nationals.
Instead, drag racing’s winningest driver will continue to rehab at an Arizona facility specializing in the treatment of the kind of traumatic brain injury (TBI) he suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond.
While the 75-year-old-racer is sidelined indefinitely, John Force Racing President Robert Hight confirmed Thursday a plan to put the 16-time champion’s Peak Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS back in competition before the start of the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship in September.
“After conversations with John’s team and with our partners, especially Brian Bohlander at Peak and Jim Campbell at Chevrolet, and with John’s input and approval, we have begun taking the steps necessary to get the Peak Chevy back on the racetrack,” Hight said.
The tentative target for the car’s return is the 47th annual Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire, Aug. 2-3, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, an event in which Force was to have raced against Funny Car rivals Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, and Dale Creasy Jr. as part of a show that also includes Top Fuel dragsters, jets, and a world-class fireworks show.
“We hope to tie up all the loose ends and introduce a driver sometime right after Sonoma [NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 26-28],” Hight said. “There’s a good pool of driving talent out there, but obviously, we need to find the right fit for both the team and our sponsors.”
Hight, a three-time NHRA Funny Car champion and two-time Seattle winner, has himself been sidelined this year by health issues, his seat in the Cornwell Tools Camaro capably filled by current points leader Austin Prock, who this week is trying to become just the third driver to win Northwest Nationals titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
