Revving up Romance! Inside the Lasting Love of John Force and His Wife, Laurie
"Laurie is the love of my life. She is the backbone of my family. In the early days, she drove the pickup truck, mixed fuel, and did the parachutes on my race car."
Published June 26 2024, 10:21 a.m. ET
On June 23, 2024, legendary drag racer John Force was involved in a horrific high-speed accident triggered by an engine explosion. With the aid of the NHRA Safety Safari, John emerged from the wreckage and was taken to a nearby trauma hospital in Virginia. As of now, he continues to receive treatment in the ICU.
As fans closely monitor John's journey and his battle for recovery, many are interested in his personal life, particularly his family. For starters, who is his wife? Here's everything we know about his spouse, Laurie.
Who is John Force's wife?
According to NBC Sports, John and his wife, Laurie, first crossed paths at a wedding in 1972, where John served as the best man and Laurie as the maid of honor. They had an on-and-off relationship for 10 years before tying the knot in 1981.
Their first child, a daughter named Ashley, was born on Nov. 29, 1982. John and Laurie's second daughter, Brittany, arrived on July 8, 1986. Their youngest daughter, Courtney, was born on June 20, 1988.
Throughout John's career, Laurie has stood by his side, providing support and a steadying presence during challenging times. Since the early days, Laurie has been the cornerstone of John Force Racing, undertaking diverse tasks — from drafting contracts and managing merchandise sales to packing parachutes for John's car, preparing meals for the team, and even handling the nitro fuel that powered John's Funny Car. Laurie has even been known to work directly on the car herself!
"Laurie is the love of my life," John told NBC Sports in 2016. "She is the backbone of my family. In the early days, she drove the pickup truck, mixed fuel, and did the parachutes on my race car. She did all that while she was going to college to get an education. I was lacking in that. I wrote the first Wendy's contract and they sent it back to me. She re-wrote it and I knew then she was in and I needed to marry her."
John Force's daughters have followed in his footsteps.
As mentioned earlier, John and Laurie have three daughters together: Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney. John also has a daughter named Adria Hight from a previous relationship. She currently serves as the chief financial officer at John Force Racing.
John and Laurie's daughters followed in the footsteps of their father, a 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion. Ashley began racing in 2004 and transitioned to the professional ranks by 2007. The following year, Ashley made history as the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car event.
In 2011, Ashley retired from racing to focus on starting a family with her husband, Daniel Hood. Today, she serves as vice president at John Force Racing and owns her own production studio, John Force Entertainment.
Brittany entered the NHRA drag racing scene in 2013. By 2017, she made history as the second woman ever to clinch a Top Fuel Championship, following Shirley Muldowney's achievement in 1982. In 2019, Brittany also became the first female driver to secure the No. 1 qualifier position in Top Fuel at the U.S. Nationals.
Her record-setting moment came on Oct. 2, 2022, at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, where she set a national record speed of 338.17 mph, the fastest Top Fuel run in history. Brittany went on to capture the 2022 NHRA Top Fuel championship.
John and Laurie's youngest child, Courtney, obtained her NHRA competition driver's license in 2005 and her Alcohol-Fuel license in 2008. On July 19, 2009, Courtney earned her first national victory in the Top Alcohol Dragster category at the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals.
During the 2011 season, Courtney obtained her NHRA Funny Car license. And so, after her sister, Ashley, announced her retirement that same year, Courtney joined John Force Racing as its fourth driver.
Her career continued to soar, culminating on July 27, 2014, when Courtney surpassed her sister to claim the record for the most Funny Car wins by a female driver in NHRA history.
On January 24, 2019, Courtney announced her retirement. She welcomed her first child, a daughter named Harlan, with her husband, IndyCar racer Graham Rahal, in November 2020. In September 2022, Courtney gave birth to Tinley Leighton Rahal and announced she was stepping back from her roles at her foundation and sponsorships to focus on being a mom.