GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- John Force is perfect on the season: three NHRA events and three harrowing engine explosions.
The 16-time Funny Car champion blew another one during Friday's qualifying for the Gatornationals, creating a fireball that sent the fiberglass body of his Chevrolet dragster flying dozens of feet in the air and landing halfway between the strip and the grandstands.
The 68-year-old Force sustained a cut across the back of his right hand. He had it bandaged at the end of the track, but did not need stitches.
Force joked that at least he didn't get hit with another bill for an ambulance ride.