YORBA LINDA, Calif. -- Brittany Force remembers nothing about the hard crash that hospitalized her overnight during the NHRA season opener nearly two weeks ago.
The defending Top Fuel champion said in a question-and-answer session released by her team that she watched part of the crash on a cell phone, and "it was much worse than I expected."
Force was hospitalized following a wall-banging accident at the Winternationals on Feb. 11 in Pomona, California. Her team, John Force Racing, said she escaped internal injuries and sustained only "upper-body soreness."
The 31-year-old Force is one of Funny Car great John Force's three daughters.
The 2017 class champion was racing in the first round of eliminations when her dragster veered right just off the start, shot the other direction and slammed into the left wall. It spun with the tangled parachute catching the nose and hit backward into the right wall, flipping on its side. It ended up back on what was left of the wheels when it finally skidded to a stop.
"My biggest concern is being trapped in the car while it's on fire," Brittany Force said. "So after seeing in the video that the car tipped over and caught on fire, I made the decision not to watch it again until getting back in the car and making some runs. I don't need those images in my head before making another pass."
It's unclear when Force will get back in her dragster.
NHRA returns to the track Friday at the Arizona Nationals, but it's unlikely that Force will be behind the wheel for the season's second event. John Force Racing is expected to address her future Thursday.
"I don't remember any of the crash," she said. "The last thing I remember is staging the car. The next piece I remember is the 'Safety Safari' helping me out of the car. I remember looking down at this mangled mess and thinking someone had wrecked. Then I realized the mess was my car. After that, I remember bits and pieces, but I do remember my whole family in the hospital with me. My first question was, 'What happened?'"
Force says she has had a "full house for the past week," with her parents, sisters, nephews, niece, friends, team members and boyfriend checking up on her regularly. Several competitors have called or texted. She thanked fans for sending flowers and cards.
"I got banged up pretty good, but I'm getting better each day," she said. "I'm anxious to get back in my race car. I've been taking it easy and resting up at home. There's not much else for me to do. It's all just a matter of time."