Injured John Force remains eligible to win NHRA Funny Car title

BROWNSBURG, Ind. -- Drag racing Hall of Famer John Force may contend for another Funny Car title even though he won't drive the rest of the season as he recovers from a traumatic brain injury after a crash in Virginia last month.

Past Funny Car champion Jack Beckman will drive for Force, the 16-time Funny Car champion, the rest of the season.

NHRA rules allow teams a substitute driver who can gain points for the original driver for a maximum of eight events.

Force was second in points behind teammate Austin Prock when he was injured in Virginia on June 23 after his engine exploded and he crashed into the walls. Force has not raced since then and sits sixth in the standings, with Prock still on top.

Force spent about two weeks in a Virginia hospital before being moved to a facility in Arizona. Force's family has said he's now receiving outpatient care at his home in California.

Beckman's first points race for Force will come at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, on Aug. 16.

John Force Racing president Robert Hight said 58-year-old Beckman, who last raced in the NHRA four years ago, checks all boxes as a strong sub for 75-year-old Force.

"I know how fortunate I am to have been picked to fill in for John," Beckman said in a statement, "and I should be easy to spot in the pits. I'll be the guy who can't stop smiling."