在布里特妮·福斯以343.51英里/小时的速度创下NHRA历史最快纪录后不久，这位两届Top Fuel世界冠军于周五宣布，她将在本赛季结束后退役，以便专注于组建家庭。
福斯是16届冠军约翰·福斯四个直线竞速赛车手女儿中的次女，她在上赛季末与鲍比·莱昂斯结婚，并告诉美联社她已准备好转换角色成为母亲。布列塔尼·福斯于今年7月年满39岁。
她向美联社表示："作为NHRA直线竞速赛中的女性选手，这件事一直萦绕在我心头。我目睹姐姐们进入这个领域并发展事业，最终却不得不选择退出，以便组建家庭。阿什莉有两个小男孩，考特尼有两个小女孩，第三个孩子也即将出生。正因如此，作为这项运动中的女性选手，这始终是我内心的隐忧，因为确实面临着更大的挑战。"
布列塔尼·福斯宣布消息的同周，NASCAR名人堂成员托尼·斯图尔特之妻莉亚·普鲁特表示，她将于2026年重返NHRA赛事——这是她离开直线竞速赛场组建家庭两年后的复出。两人的儿子于2024年末出生。
布列塔尼·福斯表示，成家后仍可能重返赛车赛场。
被誉为“速度女王”的福斯上周末在印第安纳波利斯举行的美国国家赛车比赛中，刷新了NHRA顶级燃料赛车世界速度纪录。这一成绩打破了她本人7月份在索诺玛创下的343.16英里/小时的旧纪录。
她回忆道：'当时我的无线电里什么都听不见，后来他们重复了343这个速度，我还以为他们在开玩笑。能在这么多现场观众面前完成这一壮举，我既激动又兴奋。看台上座无虚席。虽然我们最近跑出了不错的速度，但能从342直接突破到343，至今仍让我难以置信。'
赛季伊始，福斯保持着自2022年以来338.94英里/小时的极速纪录。自四月起，他已十次突破340英里/小时大关，不断刷新这项运动的里程碑。在顶级燃油车赛事中，此前从未有选手在今年之前达到过这一速度。
她以18场胜利与雪莉·穆尔多尼并列顶级燃油赛车史上夺冠次数最多的车手，且目前福斯已包揽该赛事史上十大最快单圈中的九次纪录。
“我们从事的事业令人惊叹。能驾驶这辆赛车、与这支团队共事令我深感自豪，更为我们取得的成就感到无比骄傲。”她说道。
福斯（Force）的整个职业生涯都在为约翰·福斯车队效力，这段与父亲及队友们共度的时光，让她收获了如同家人般的情谊——这种珍贵体验是极少数赛车手才能享有的殊荣。
约翰·福斯（John Force）于1971年首次参加直线竞速赛，而布里塔妮·福斯（Brittany Force）决定退出赛事后，这将成为自他强势进军该运动以来，福斯家族首次无人活跃在赛场上的情况。
约翰·福斯表示："我为布里塔妮及其职业生涯中取得的所有成就感到无比自豪。她赢得了多场比赛，创下无数纪录，并两度夺得世界冠军。她的离开将是这项运动的巨大损失。尽管她将在年底卸任，但她仍坚定地专注于赢得冠军，为本赛季画上圆满句号，以回报所有赞助商的支持。"
她的母亲劳瑞和姐妹们同样感到骄傲，我们都期待着她人生的下一篇章将如何展开。
布里塔妮表示，她有朝一日可能会重返NHRA。
“我热爱这项运动，热爱NHRA直线竞速赛，我从小就在这样的环境中长大，”她说道。“过去13年我一直投身于这项运动，因此我并未对未来重返赛场关上大门。这显然是一个需要日后抵达人生新阶段时再做的决定。”
她表示，如果不追随家人进入直线竞速赛领域，自己并不确定会选择怎样的职业道路。尽管她拥有中等教育学位和教师资格证书，但"仍觉得即使不当车手，我也会找到参与这项运动的方式"。
布列塔尼·福斯（Brittany Force）于2017年和2022年两度夺冠，其中2017年的胜利使她成为自马尔多尼（Muldowney）之后35年来首位获得Top Fuel组别冠军的女性车手。
美联社赛车新闻：
Not long after Brittany Force went 343.51 mph 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 shes ready to shift into a new role of motherhood. Brittany Force turned 39 in July.
Its 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, its always been in the back of my mind because being a female in the sport, it is definitely more of a challenge.
Brittany Forces 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 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 couldnt hear anything on my radio and then they repeated the 343 speed and I thought they were joking, she recalled. " Im so pumped and so excited to do this in front of all the fans here. The stands were packed. Weve run great mph lately, but to jump over 342 and go right to 343, I still cant 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. Im very proud to be able to drive this car, work with this team and Im so proud of what weve 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 Brittanys decision to step out of the car will mark the first time a Force family member isnt actively competing since he stormed into the sport.
Im really proud of Brittany and all she has accomplished throughout her career, John Force said. Shes won races, set countless records, and captured two World Championships. Her presence in this sport will be greatly missed. Although shes 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 were 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, Ive 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. Thats definitely a decision for further down the road once I get there.
She said she isnt exactly sure what she would have done with her career if shed 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 wasnt 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.
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