Adria Force Hight, the oldest daughter of 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, has died. She was 56.
John Force Racing announced her passing via social media.
Adria joined the family drag racing business, becoming one of the first employees of John Force Racing after graduating from Huntington Beach (California) High School. She played an instrumental role in building the organization from the ground up, handling everything from answering phones and selling T-shirts out of the race trailer, to eventually serving as CFO of one of the winningest teams in motorsports history.
Adria is survived by her daughter Autumn Hight (Nathan Prose), mother Lana Starks, father John (Laurie Force), fiancé Jimmy Collins, siblings Ashley (Daniel Hood), Brittany (Bobby Lyons) and Courtney (Graham Rahal), and nieces and nephews. Also surviving are several aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family and friends. Adria was preceded in death by her grandparents Gracey and C.N. Bonee and Betty and Bill Force. In honoring Adria’s wishes, private services will be held. Her burial will follow in Roselawn Memorial Park in Terre Haute, Indiana. There will be a celebration of her life later in the year in California.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.
