FORCE INJURED IN FUNNY CAR CRASH.(Competition)

Almost six months to the day since his teammate Eric Medlen died in a testing crash (Competition, April 2), National Hot Rod Association 14-time Funny Car champion John Force suffered perhaps the most serious crash of his 29-year NHRA career at the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex, 30 miles south of Dallas.

Force was competing against Kenny Bernstein when, halfway down the track, his Ford appeared to blow a rear tire. The frame separated at the rear of the engine, the front half veered into Bernstein's car, and both cars smashed against the guardrail. The rear half of Force's car, containing the driver's compartment, came to rest upside down against the opposite wall. Bernstein was uninjured.

Force suffered a severely lacerated right knee, a broken left ankle and a dislocated left wrist. He also sustained fractures and severe abrasions to his right hand and fingers. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Bernstein struck a timing cone and sent debris into Force's lane. Early speculation ranged from the possibility that the debris cut Force's tire to an unrelated failure of the clutch pack, which would better explain the car's drastic frame separation.

Because Force won two rounds, he remains fourth in points, with just one race remaining in the four-race "Countdown to Four.'' Only the top four drivers in each class will be eligible for the championship, to be decided in the "Countdown to One'' at the season's final two races.

Robert Hight, another John Force Racing driver, came to Texas with the Funny Car points lead but failed to qualify, dropping him to second behind Texas winner Tony Pedregon. Jack Beckham, who lost to Pedregon in the first round, is third in points. Ashley Force won two rounds but did not compete after her father's crash, dropping the rookie to 12th in points.

In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon won over Bob Vandergriff. Dixon leads in points, followed by Rod Fuller, Tony Schumacher and Brandon Bernstein.