John Drive has left a Virginia hospital to maneuver to a rehabilitation heart nearer to his residence in California and the NHRA nice celebrated the information by taking his daughter for ice cream on her birthday.

Brittany Drive wrote on social media the stroll outdoors the hospital — Drive seems to be in a wheelchair and has a forged on his proper arm — was in celebration of her thirty eighth birthday.

Drive suffered a traumatic mind harm in a fiery, 300-mph crash on the Virginia Nationals final month. The 75-year-old was first in neurological intensive care after which moved into acute neuro care on the Virginia hospital. Amongst his different accidents is a fractured sternum.

Drive’s automotive had a catastrophic engine failure on the end line and his dragster slammed driver-side into the left concrete guard wall after which careened again into the correct wall.

Drive spent 15 days on the VCU Medical Heart and on Tuesday boarded an AirMed ambulance for the three-hour flight to a neurological rehab heart to deal with his mind harm.

John Drive Racing mentioned in an announcement that the 16-time NHRA Humorous Automobile champion remains to be affected by cognitive and behavioral signs from the TBI however has been capable of converse with household and workers. He is nonetheless susceptible to intervals of confusion however loved Monday’s birthday celebration with Brittany.

Graham Rahal, the IndyCar driver who’s married to Drive’s daughter, Courtney, mentioned Tuesday he was watching the Virginia Nationals on tv as he ready for his personal race in California. He mentioned Courtney was asleep and he instantly woke up her as a result of “sadly I’ve seen loads of crashes in NHRA. Courtney’s explosion in 2017 and Brittany had hers and John’s had quite a bit over the past 5 or so years. However you realize, you realize when it is completely different.”

He mentioned it was an agonizing day in Monterey, California, as Drive’s spouse, Laurie, was additionally with them on the IndyCar race and the trio was desperately attempting to get any updates doable. Rahal praised the IndyCar medical staff for rapidly scrambling into motion to help in Drive’s care from afar, and as soon as the IndyCar race was over, Rahal known as in a favor from NetJets to get Courtney and her mom on a flight to Virginia.

“There have been simply so many inquiries to be requested, what was his situation? And it wasn’t till actually a day-and-a-half later that we began to get some readability,” Rahal mentioned. “However you realize, that is racing, and as a lot as I hate to be tone deaf to it — as a result of I’m not — this stuff occur.”

Rahal additionally added that it took him years to recover from the 2015 dying of fellow IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, one thing Rahal mentioned he is by no means earlier than mentioned publicly.

“He was a really shut pal of mine, and it took me years to maneuver previous the psychological aspect of sitting in a automotive, notably at Indianapolis or only a superspeedway, and never have a flash by way of me,” Rahal mentioned. “And so, on that given Sunday with John, it was onerous. However you have to do what you have to do and go on the market.

“From there, our focus is simply get the ladies to him as quick as we may.”

In 2007, at age 58, Drive was significantly injured in a racing crash in Ennis, Texas. He has continued to race on the highest stage and has two wins this season, together with his file 157th NHRA victory in New Hampshire.

Drive’s daughter, Brittany, is a two-time world champion, whereas Courtney stepped away from NHRA as she and Rahal began a household. They share two younger daughters that Rahal has been caring for whereas Drive was surrounded within the Virginia hospital by his personal 4 daughters and spouse.

Rahal is the son of Bobby Rahal, a former Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time IndyCar champion.

He mentioned the Drive household will rotate who’s with John Drive throughout his restoration because the household continues its respective racing careers.