Graham Rahal gets special shoutout from father-in-law John Force after NHRA legend returns to circuit that nearly took his life

NHRA legend John Force gave a shoutout to his son-in-law, Graham Rahal, and daughter Courtney Force's special project during the Virginia Nationals at the Richmond Raceway from June 20 to 22. It was at that track where the 16-time Funny Car champion had a fireball crash a year ago.

Force crashed in the first round of the 2024 NHRA Virginia Nationals. After clocking a 302.62-mph win over Terry Haddock, the engine in his PEAK Chevy Camaro exploded. The cockpit was surrounded by fire, and his car went on to crash into the concrete barrier on the opposite lane, before returning to his lane destroyed.

John Force suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a neurological ICU for a few weeks. Before returning to Richmond this week, his team, John Force Racing, partnered with the Graham Rahal and Courtney Force foundation to launch a philanthropic project called Task Force Rahal.

The project's funding would support a program by the Centre for BrainHealth at UT Dallas to help military personnel, veterans, and their families with brain health, including recovery from traumatic brain injury. For both John Force and Graham Rahal, this was a subject close to their heart.

In an Instagram reel on JFR's channel recorded at the Richmond Raceway, Force spoke about Task Force Rahal, saying:

"We're here at Richmond and I'm excited to be part of the Task Force Rahal, especially with Graham and my daughter, Courtney. We're excited to be a part of this. We're gonna help raise funds from all of our team."

"It's for a great charity. I was hurt here at Richmond last year, and I had brain injury and all of that. But I'm back here at Richmond, where it started for me, but Rahal loves to give and donate. I've donated and hope you will too."

John Force's return to Richmond, albeit on the sidelines, ended with a stupendous result for the team. The final round of the Funny Car category had an all-JFR line-up. It was Austin Prock versus Jack Beckman, and the former won to take a second consecutive victory at the track.

What John Force said about Graham Rahal after the announcement of Task Force Rahal

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Graham Rahal and JFR announced Task Force Rahal on June 5 to make a difference outside of the racing world. Before that, the IndyCar veteran had already been helping American veterans through the Turns for Troops programs in partnership with United Rentals.

After the announcement of Task Force Rahal, John Force heaped praise on his son-in-law, who married Courtney Force in 2015. He said (via John Force Racing)

"I’ve watched Graham over the years, and he has always been one to try and help others. This whole concept that he’s involved in is to make things bigger and stronger. That’s the direction he’s headed, and we’ll be a part of that by promoting Task Force Rahal on our racecars. It is exciting that fans and sponsors can donate too!”💙

Graham Rahal first partnered with JFR on a sporting front in March. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver's performance company, Graham Rahal Performance, would be the primary sponsor for Funny Car driver Jack Beckman and Top Fuel dragster, Brittany Force, for the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, and would remain a major associate sponsor for the team for the rest of the season.

Rahal has been having an underwhelming IndyCar season so far, with only one Top 10 result, a P6 at the Sonsio GP.