NHRA legend John Force expresses gratitude to Chevrolet, celebrates Christmas with staff in heartfelt tribute

NHRA great John Force helped spread Christmas cheer in a recent social media video. The 75-year-old showed his appreciation for Chevrolet, John Force Racing's manufacturer, and took his JFR California staff out for lunch to enjoy some time together during the holiday season.

The video was posted to John Force Racing's YouTube page. Force can be seen standing in the racing shop, next to a Christmas tree as he delivers a thank you message to Chevrolet. He said:

"Hey everybody, John Force here. I just want to say, look at this beautiful Christmas tree. It's fun. It's that time of year. So, we're going to take all of our Yorba Linda staff out to a lunch and to enjoy the day and the Christmas spirit, but I want to take a moment to thank Chevrolet, all their employees, all their fans, all their buyers for everything that they do for you and what they do for us. So God bless you and let's enjoy Christmas." (0:06 onwards)

The video then shows a montage of the employees at the JFR California shop as the crew heads to a restaurant to share a meal together.

Force's holiday video comes in the same year the racing legend was involved in a fiery crash at the Virginia Motorsports Park last June, sustaining a significant injury. Force was subsequently hospitalized in intensive care for treatment and has since made a strong recovery. However, it was announced that Force will not return to the NHRA in 2025, with Josh Beckman set to replace him.

Force, though, is hoping to return to the competition in the future. He said: (via Newsweek)

"I'm still going to therapy every week and working as hard as I can to get back out there with the sponsors and the fans in a sport I love and I miss. I've still got a lot of things I want to do, so I don't want anybody thinking they've seen the last of John Force. We'll have a lot more to talk about after the holidays."

John Force once appeared on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast in 2019

While John Force's racing roots lie heavily in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), he once made a guest appearance on retired NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast, the "Dale Jr. Download." In the episode, Force discussed his racing career and a litany of topics, including his love for Elvis Presley's music and how he met the late Dale Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr.'s father.

Dirty Mo Media, the media company owned by Earnhardt Jr., posted a video via X prior to the episode's release, writing:

"This Dirty Mo Media video has been rated R - not suitable for all audiences - because well, it's John Force."

Force is a 16-time NHRA champion as a driver and a 22-time champion as an owner. He also holds 157 career victories as a driver.