Graham Rahal's wife shares elated reaction as sister Britanny Force rewrites NHRA history

Graham Rahal's wife and former NHRA Funny Car driver, Courtney Force, recently celebrated a significant record achieved by her sister, Brittany Force, on social media. Courtney reshared a video clip on her Instagram Story of Brittany’s historic run during the 1000th Top Fuel race at the 4-Wide Nationals, where she clocked the highest ever speed recorded in the history of the sport.

Two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force made drag racing history on Friday at ZMax Dragway. Driving her HendrickCars.com Top Fuel dragster, Brittany hit a top speed of 341.59 miles per hour during her second qualifying run for Sunday’s 15th NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. It was the fastest speed ever recorded in drag racing. Brittany, 38, broke her own NHRA record of 338.94 mph, which she set in 2022 at the World Finals in Pomona.

Even though Brittany made history, she ended the first day of qualifying in the third position. She posted a time of 3.667 seconds, just behind Shawn Langdon’s time of 3.665s and Doug Kalitta’s time of 3.646s. Along with the clip, Courtney gave a shoutout to her sister on her Instagram Story:

"Way to go, Britt," Courtney wrote. She also praised the HendrickCars.com team for their part in the record-breaking moment.

Screengrab of Courtney Force's IG Story (@courtneyforce via Instagram)

Brittany Force also shared her reaction on breaking the all-time speed record in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series:

"We’re off to a great start," Brittany Force said (via John Force Racing). "In Q2, this HendrickCars.com dragster went 3.667 and 341.59 mph. I didn’t know until I was mid-interview (with the FOX TV crew) at the top end that we ran that kind of mile per hour, and it’s just something really exciting for every single one of these guys on this HendrickCars.com team."

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Graham Rahal once shared his feelings on being married to a former Funny Car racer

AUTO: Graham Rahal with his wife and kids on MAY 20, INDYCAR Series The 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Courtney Force, the wife of IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and daughter of John Force, a 16-time NHRA World Funny Car Champion, had a successful racing career of her own. She earned her Funny Car license in 2011 and went on to claim 12 career victories. In 2013, she became the first woman to win the O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

In 2014, Courtney made history again by becoming the female driver with the most Funny Car wins in NHRA history, surpassing her sister Ashley Force. Around that time, her personal life also took a big step forward. Courtney met Graham Rahal in 2013, and they married in November 2015. The couple now has two daughters, Harlan Ann Rahal and Tinley Leighton Rahal.

Courtney decided to retire from racing in 2019 to focus on raising her family. While she was still competing, Graham Rahal shared how challenging it was for him to watch his wife compete in such a dangerous sport. Speaking to IndyCar.com in 2016, he said:

"It’s a very unfamiliar situation. Most people in this world don’t really understand what’s that like from a husband side because they don’t have to experience that too much with their wives. Obviously, for me, she’s far more than a race car driver or just another female. It’s important to me that she’s safe, and luckily, she is."

Graham Rahal currently sits in the 17th spot in the 2025 NTT IndyCar drivers' standings with 45 points to his name. He will return to racing on Sunday, May 4, in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. The race is scheduled to start at 1:30 pm ET.