Force progressing, could be released
Force has been undergoing daily physical therapy in a walker to begin to rehabilitate his broken left ankle and deeply lacerated right knee.
The challenges of getting ambulatory are incredibly difficult because he has a cast on his left foot and his right leg is bandaged from below the knee up his thigh. His left hand and wrist are in a cast, and the fingers on his right hand are heavily swollen.
Well-wishes have been pouring in from sponsors, including Tom McKernan of the Automobile Club of Southern California, Dan Davis of Ford, and Bob Lawrence of Brand Source; fellow NHRA racers from all eras, including former Funny Car racer John Collins, who was involved in a two-car accident at the 1984 Cajun Nationals; and racers from all walks of motorsports, including former Texas Indy car great "Lone Star J.R." Rutherford.
"John's doing great for all that he went through," said Dave Densmore, public relations director of John Force Racing, who noted that Force is especially pleased that all of the work the team has done in padding the roll cage really paid off. "He told me that anytime he'd ever hit the wall before his neck was sore for weeks, and his neck is not sore at all after this accident where he got thrown around quite a bit."
Although Force still insists he would love to compete at the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals in Virginia to protect his hard-won spot in the Countdown to Four, it's highly unlikely given his medical condition and approvals that would need to be obtained from his doctors and NHRA officials. "I'm not trying to be no hero," he insists, just trying to keep the dream of a 15th championship alive.
The team is expected to have an official update later today.
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Tuesday, 5 p.m. CT: John Force interviews from his hospital bed in Dallas, including an insightful nine-minute interview with CBS 11 News in Dallas.
Force also did interviews with NBC 5 Dallas and ABC8 News in Dallas