Racer dies in accident at NHRA SuperNationals

[Daytona]

Around noon-ish today a Top Alcohol Funny Car driver died when his car failed to stop at Raceway Park today. I heard about it on the radio - NHRA is only saying that "a driver died of head injuries at the track" but wouldn't release any other info - and knew there was more to the story. Naturally, I called one of my long-time racing buddies who's there at the track and he had spoken to one of the track staff.

The fans there in the stands aren't being told the whole truth as to what happened and how he died, and the traps are far enough away from the end of the stands that people could only see dirt kicked up and all emergency personnel scrambling to the scene. Mike knew enough to talk to some of the staff to get the full skinny.

He told me that it was a red TF/FC (didn't recognize the driver's name) and the throttle had stuck. The chute didn't deploy either. When the car hit the sand traps it was still going over 240mph. The top of the blower got caught up in the net and ripped back, killing the driver. Those nets are secured pretty tightly to prevent cars from advancing so it was a rough one.

They're working on resetting the traps and resuming racing again @ 4pm.

Here's the official AP Release:

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. — A drag racing driver ran through a net at the end of a track and died of head injuries in a crash during a qualifying round at the NHRA SuperNationals at a New Jersey raceway Friday, state police said.

The driver, whose name has not been released, crashed at Raceway Park in Old Bridge, N.J., Sgt. Stephen Jones said.

Spectator David Farrah of Manalapan said it appeared the driver couldn't stop.

"It looked like the chute just didn't open and he couldn't stop," Farrah said. "The car was just crushed. It was tragic."

Another spectator, George Tompkins, 63, of Metuchen, said he left the stands shortly before the crash. He didn't see the wreck, but said he heard it.


"You heard that sound and knew right away that it was bad," he said.

Racing was suspended for more than three hours while the crash was being investigated. NHRA officials said they planned to resume qualifying races at about 4 p.m.

Friday's accident comes nearly two years after top racer Scott Kalitta died when his Funny Car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track in central New Jersey.

Kalitta's Toyota Solara was traveling at about 300 mph when it burst into flames.

New Jersey State Police investigators determined that "catastrophic mechanical failure" caused the fuel-fired explosion.

The 1994 and 1995 Top Fuel season champion had 18 career victories.
In February, a spectator died after being hit by a tire from a crashing dragster at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. The woman was watching a first-round Top Fuel run when Antron Brown's Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster went out of control on the strip and its left rear wheel came off.