Brittany Force retiring after stellar season to start a family

Not long after Brittany Force went 343.51 miles per hour in the fastest run in NHRA history, the two-time Top Fuel world champion announced Friday she is retiring at the end of the season to focus on starting a family.Force, the second of four drag racing daughters of 16-time champion John Force, married Bobby Lyons at the end of last season and told The Associated Press she's ready to shift into a new role of motherhood."It's something that as a female in NHRA drag racing that has always been in the back of my mind," she told the AP. "I watched my sisters get into the scene and have their careers and then ultimately had to make the decision to step out so they can try to start a family. Ashley has two little boys, Courtney has two little girls and has a third on the way. Because of that, it's always been in the back of my mind because being a female in the sport, it is definitely more of a challenge."Brittany Force's announcement comes the same week Leah Pruett, wife of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, said she will return to NHRA in 2026, two years after stepping out of the dragster to start a family. Their son was born in late in 2024.Brittany Force, 39, said she has not ruled out a return to racing after starting a family.Known as "The Queen of Speed," Force set the new NHRA Top Fuel world speed record last weekend at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. It broke her previous record of 343.16 mph set in Sonoma in July."I couldn't hear anything on my radio and then they repeated the 343 speed and I thought they were joking," she recalled. "I'm so pumped and so excited to do this in front of all the fans here. The stands were packed. We've run great mph lately, but to jump over 342 and go right to 343, I still can't believe we did it."At the start of the season, Force held the speed record of 338.94, a mark that had stood since 2022. Force has now made 10 runs of 340 mph or faster since April, setting even more new landmarks and milestones in the sport. Nobody had reached 340 before this year in Top Fuel.Her 18 wins are tied with Shirley Muldowney for the most in Top Fuel history and Force has now made nine of the 10 fastest runs in Top Fuel history."What we get to do is awesome. I'm very proud to be able to drive this car, work with this team and I'm so proud of what we've been able to accomplish," she said.Force has spent her entire career driving for John Force Racing, time spent with her father and crew members who have become family in a luxury afforded to few racers.John Force made his drag racing debut in 1971 and Brittany's decision to step out of the car will mark the first time a Force family member isn't actively competing since he stormed into the sport."I'm really proud of Brittany and all she has accomplished throughout her career," John Force said. "She's won races, set countless records, and captured two World Championships. Her presence in this sport will be greatly missed. Although she's stepping out of the seat at the end of the year, her focus is still firmly set on winning the championship and ending this season strong for all her sponsors."Her mom, Laurie, and all her sisters are proud, as well, and we're all looking forward to seeing what the next chapter of her life holds."Brittany said she could return to NHRA someday."I love the sport, I love NHRA drag racing, I've grown up around it," she said. "I dedicated the last 13 years to the sport, so I am not closing the door on driving in the future. That's definitely a decision for further down the road once I get there."She said she isn't exactly sure what she would have done with her career if she'd not followed her family into drag racing. She has a degree in secondary education and her teaching credentials, but "still feel I would have found a way to be involved in the sport, even if I wasn't driving."Brittany Force won her championships in 2017 and 2022, with her 2017 title the first in 35 years by a female in Top Fuel since Muldowney.