YORBA LINDA, California, May 5, 2026, 05:19 PDT
Adria (Force) Hight, a longtime John Force Racing executive and the eldest daughter of 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, has died at 56, the team said, just before one of its drivers dedicated a breakthrough victory to her. ( [1])
The loss lands during a stretch of change for John Force Racing, a family-controlled NHRA operation that has been reshaping itself since Force retired from driving in November 2025 after a serious 2024 crash. The 2026 NHRA season is already five races in, and the team is still competing at the front. ( [2])
Hight’s role mattered because it was not ceremonial. John Force Racing said she was one of its first employees, then became chief financial officer — the executive responsible for the company’s finances — after years of doing basic but crucial work such as answering phones and selling T-shirts from the race trailer. ( [3])
“It is with heavy hearts” that the team shared Hight’s death, John Force Racing said in a social-media statement carried by Performance Racing Industry. “Her impact, dedication and legacy will never be forgotten,” the team said. ( [4])
An obituary posted by Roselawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park said Hight died peacefully on April 28 in Indianapolis, surrounded by family. She was born June 4, 1969, in Huntington Park, California, and later lived in Terre Haute, Indiana. ( [5])
After graduating from Huntington Beach High School, Hight joined her father’s racing business as it was still taking shape. NHRA said she was at Force’s side for one of his defining early wins, his first NHRA national event victory in Montreal in 1987. ( [6])
John Force Racing describes itself as a 24-championship team with hundreds of wins. The organization grew from Force’s long Funny Car career into a multicar operation that included daughters Ashley Force Hood, Courtney Force and Brittany Force, while Hight worked largely away from the cockpit. ( [7])
Force holds NHRA records with 157 event wins and 16 Funny Car championships, according to Reuters/Field Level Media. He said in 2025 that it was time to retire from driving, but that he still planned to keep building the team. ( [8])
On Sunday in Georgia, Jordan Vandergriff won his first NHRA Funny Car event in John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet and dedicated the victory to Hight. “Adria got this one for me,” Vandergriff said, adding that she was a “pivotal part” of the organization. ( [9])
The competitive pressure is immediate. At the NHRA Southern Nationals, Kalitta Motorsports put Shawn Langdon and Doug Kalitta into an all-Kalitta Top Fuel final, while Kalitta driver J.R. Todd reached the Funny Car final against Vandergriff; NHRA said Todd moved into the Funny Car points lead after the event. ( [10])
But the open question is how John Force Racing replaces Hight’s institutional knowledge in finance, sponsors and the day-to-day running of a race team. The public statement did not name a successor or outline a management plan, and family teams often carry key relationships in people rather than org charts. ( [11])
Hight is survived by her daughter Autumn Hight, her parents, fiancé Jimmy Collins, sisters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney, and nieces and nephews, the obituary said. Private services will be held, with burial at Roselawn Memorial Park in Terre Haute and a celebration of life planned later in California. ( [12])
References
1. www.performanceracing.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.performanceracing.com, 4. www.performanceracing.com, 5. www.dignitymemorial.com, 6. www.nhra.com, 7. johnforceracing.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. johnforceracing.com, 10. www.nhra.com, 11. www.performanceracing.com, 12. www.dignitymemorial.com
