NHRA News: No more Force Family in NHRA after this year
POMONA, Calif. — The thunderous roar of nitro-fueled dragsters has long been synonymous with the Force family in NHRA circles, a dynasty built on sheer speed, unbreakable will, and a legacy of championships that spans generations. But as the 2025 season hurtles toward its finale at the NHRA Finals here this weekend, the echoes of that dominance are fading.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
John Force, the 16-time Funny Car champion and patriarch of the clan, has announced his retirement at 76. His daughter Brittany, the trailblazing Top Fuel star, is stepping away to start a family. And with sister Courtney long since trading her firesuit for family life, the track will fall silent on the Force name behind the wheel for the first time in decades.
It’s a poignant end to an era that turned the Forces into the royal family of drag racing. John Force, whose career began in the 1970s, amassed 150 national event wins and those record 16 titles, often crediting his daughters for pushing him to new heights. But a harrowing crash in June 2024 at Virginia Motorsports Park changed everything. An engine explosion sent his car careening into the guardrail, igniting a fireball and leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. He spent weeks in intensive care at VCU Medical Center and later at the Barrow Neurological Institute, emerging forever altered.
In a raw social media post on Thursday, Force laid it bare: “It’s been over a year, but I’ve been under doctors’ care and I still am, so if I say anything wrong, please excuse me. But it’s time for me to retire. It all made sense to me, even though I knew I had medical stuff that I had to address, that do I want to get back in the car and get hit in the head? And I don’t.” At 76, the man who once joked about racing until he was 100 has chosen wisely, prioritizing health over the adrenaline that defined him.
Brittany Force’s decision, announced in September, carries a similar bittersweet weight. The 39-year-old, married to driver Bobby Lyons, revealed she would pause her career at season’s end to focus on building a family—a path her sister Courtney paved years earlier. Courtney, John’s middle daughter and a three-time Funny Car champion, stepped away from the cockpit in 2020 after tying the knot with IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. Motherhood called, and she answered, trading 300-mph runs for family milestones.
For Brittany, it’s not a full goodbye—at least not yet. “It’s been a really difficult decision; the best way to describe it would be bittersweet,” she told the Los Angeles Times this week. “I wish I could do both, but there’s no space for being able to drive and try to start a family in the sport.”
Her resume speaks to a career of shattering barriers: She’s the first Top Fuel driver to eclipse 340 mph, holds nine of the NHRA’s 10 fastest times ever, and claimed two world titles. Her 19th career victory last week in Las Vegas—edging out Shawn Langdon—cemented her as the winningest woman in Top Fuel history, surpassing the legendary Shirley Muldowney.
Yet the dangers of the sport loomed large. Brittany survived a vicious 2018 crash at the same Texas Motorplex where she later triumphed, a reminder of the thin line between glory and catastrophe. Her sister Ashley Force Hood, 42 and a two-time Funny Car champ who retired from driving in 2011 to focus on team operations, spoke to that protective instinct: “Like, your dad’s one thing, OK, it’s your dad, but when it’s your younger sister, you just are always going to be protective of her. I’m glad that she’s had the success she’s had, she’s safe and I want her to be safe this weekend, kick ass, but you want to keep them safe.”
John Force himself beamed with paternal pride amid the farewells. Of Brittany’s choice, he said, “She has other plans, that’s her business, but what really is exciting to me is how much I love her because she [and her sisters] kept me alive.” The Forces’ stranglehold on NHRA—with John in Funny Car, Brittany in Top Fuel, and Courtney’s earlier exploits — won’t vanish entirely. John Force Racing remains a powerhouse, with drivers like Austin Prock carrying the banner. But without a Force at the controls, the 2026 lineup will feel emptier, marking the first Force-free season since the 2020 NHRA Nationals.
Brittany envisions a softer landing: swapping the suitcase life for home-cooked meals and, hopefully, baby steps. “I mean, once I get home and I’m settled and I’m actually home for a solid month, I’m definitely going to miss being on the road. I know that because that’s my lifestyle,” she admitted. She’ll still haunt the pits next year, cheering on her teammates alongside her dad. A return? “That’s a decision for further down the road.”
As the family bows out, their impact endures. The Forces didn’t just race; they redefined what’s possible, inspiring a generation of women in a male-dominated arena. Ashley summed up the shift: “I think that it’s important to show that it is a business, and it’s not just about getting the car down the track. And she’s such a good wholesome person to have your kids look up to. She’s done really well, and I’m super proud of her.”
In Pomona, where Brittany grew up idolizing her father and sister under the lights, the NHRA Finals offer one last blaze of Force family fire. Then, come 2026, the starting line will be quieter—but the stories they leave behind will rev engines for years to come.