Less than two weeks removed from the first major racing accident of her career, reigning NHRA Mello Yello Series Top Fuel champion Brittany Force has announced that she has been medically cleared to return to the seat of her Monster Energy dragster for this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix. With the incident at the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona, California rendering her new chassis a loss, Brittany will now pilot the very car she drove to the championship last November.

“I flew into Phoenix early this (Thursday) morning and headed straight out to race track to meet up with my team,” Force said. “I suited up and got belted back into my car that I ran all last season. It honestly felt good to be strapped back in and I was surprised how comfortable I was. I’m looking forward to getting back in my car tomorrow and getting back in the swing of things with my guys.”

For how horrific that crash was, the fact that I came out of it just a little banged up is incredible. That just shows the safety that we put in these cars.

While Force remains cognizant of the inherent dangers of driving a 10,000 horsepower dragster at over 330 mph — something she knows all too well now — she says moving beyond the memory and the visuals of what occurred is key to mentally climbing back behind the wheel.

“I watched part of the crash on my sister’s phone and it was much worse than I expected. My biggest concern is being trapped in the car while it’s on fire. So, after seeing in the video that the car tipped over and caught on fire, I made the decision not to watch it again until getting back in the car and making some runs. I don’t need those images in my head before making another pass.”

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Following a routine evaluation, Force was cleared with no serious head or bodily injuries, sustaining only residual pains in her shoulder from the side impact with the Auto Club Raceway guardrail.

“I got banged up pretty good but I’m getting better each day. I’m anxious to get back in my race car. I’ve been taking it easy and resting up at home. There’s not much else for me to do. It’s all just a matter of time. For how horrific that crash was, the fact that I came out of it just a little banged up is incredible. That just shows the safety that we put in these cars. I have to thank Don Schumacher Racing for the design of the canopy and thank you Simpson for all your gear that kept me safe.”