Courtney Force ends successful Funny Car career

Published Jan. 24, 2019 1:15 p.m. ET

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) — Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history, is stepping away from driving.

Force is a 12-time Funny Car winner, was the No. 1 qualifer 28 times and ranked in the top 10 of the NHRA standings in six of her seven seasons. The daughter of 16-time world champion John Force plans to stay involved with the race team and maintain her corporate sponsorships.

Force said in a statement Thursday that stepping away from drag racing was a personal choice as she pursues the next chapter of her life. The 30-year-old Force is married to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and the two spend more than half the year on their careers and rarely can attend each other's events.