YORBA LINDA, Calif. -- 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 qualifier 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.

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