The accident occurred as Force crossed the finish line in a race against rival Kenny Bernstein. Bernstein's Funny Car drifted into Force's lane, clipping a timing cone and a foam safety block. The block was initially believed to have ruptured Force's left rear tire, causing a catastrophic chassis failure; however, a thorough post-incident NHRA review determined the block passed behind the tire and was not the direct mechanical cause. Regardless of the trigger, the chassis broke apart violently at high speed. Force sustained a broken ankle, abrasion of his right knee, a dislocated left wrist, and badly mangled fingers and toes. He was airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for emergency treatment.
The 2007 season had already been a turbulent one for Force before the Ennis crash. Earlier in the year he had suffered a DNQ — ending a consecutive-qualifying streak of more than two decades — following the death of his young teammate Eric Medlen, whose fatal accident earlier that season had already cast a shadow over John Force Racing. Force had rallied mid-season, winning the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee and reaching three additional final rounds. Those results had placed him fourth in points and kept him eligible for NHRA's new post-season structure, the Countdown to the Championship. The Ennis crash ended his run before he could compete in the final rounds of that playoff format.
The 2007 Texas crash was one of several high-profile incidents that accelerated safety improvements in NHRA drag racing. Following the death of Scott Kalitta in 2008, Force played an active role in developing a critical new safety device alongside retired champion Kenny Bernstein and seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher. The system — created with backing from NHRA's Track Safety Committee — used an engine sensor to detect backfires during a run; if triggered, it automatically shut down the fuel pump and deployed the parachutes. The device became mandatory at the start of the 2009 season and has been credited with reducing catastrophic engine-failure incidents.
Force's injuries from the Ennis crash also indirectly led to the development of an alternative handbrake configuration for Funny Car drivers. Because his right arm remained in a cast through much of 2008 and because the crash had reduced grip strength in that hand, engineers developed a forward-push handbrake application as an option, replacing the traditional pull-toward-the-driver design. Several Funny Car competitors subsequently adopted the configuration.
Phil Burkart Jr. replaced Force as driver for the remainder of the 2007 season starting at Las Vegas. Force returned for 2008 and, despite finishing seventh in the points — his worst championship result in many years — he continued to influence the sport's safety direction. By 2010 he captured his 15th NHRA Funny Car championship, demonstrating a full return to competitive form.
The Ennis crash stands as a defining moment in the sport's evolving approach to competitor safety. Force's advocacy in the aftermath, combined with the NHRA's formal investigation and rule changes, set a precedent for how the series responded to serious accidents. The incident is frequently cited alongside the 2008 Scott Kalitta tragedy as the dual catalyst for modern NHRA safety standards covering fuel-system cutoffs, parachute deployment, and cockpit ergonomics.