After spending 15 days in varying levels of intensive care at VCU Medical Center, drag racing champion John Force was released Tuesday in time to board an AirMed ambulance for a three-hour flight to a neurological rehab center at which treatment for the Traumatic Brain Injury he suffered in a June 23 crash will continue.
The 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion’s departure from the facility to which he was airlifted after crashing at more than 300 miles per hour was considered by family members to be a major step forward in the recovery process.
However, medical staff cautioned that the road ahead still is a difficult one. Force is dealing with cognitive and behavioral symptoms from the TBI, and while he has been able to converse with family and staff, enjoy the company of grandsons Jacob and Noah Hood and celebrate a Monday birthday with daughter Brittany, he still is prone to periods of confusion.
Family members said that no timetable had been established for the length of Force’s stay at the new facility which was selected because of its success in treating other race car drivers with similar issues.
This story was originally published on July 9, 2024. 
