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Fatal drag racing accidents at races that occurred on race tracks, due to motor malfunction, driver's carelessness, or could be just bad luck are listed here. The year of these drag car crashes are seen in the discussion column.
These deaths have been horrifying and terrifying. There are some pretty big names on this list of drag racing deaths. This is the worst possible thing that can happen when you race, but if you're not careful, it is a consequence. What are the worst drag racing deaths?
Take a look at this list and you'll find out that answer. Blaine Johnson. Blaine H. Johnson May 22, — August 31, was a professional drag racer. Johnson won four championships in that series — He entered the Top Fuel class in after receiving his competition license for that class prior to the beginning of the season that year. Nationals held at the Indianapolis Darrell Russell. The thenyear-old was pulled out of his wrecked race car.
As is typical of his Superman-like persona, Force was ready to climb into his backup car like he had done countless times in the past. Force suffered a compound fracture to his left ankle, a deep left knee laceration that extended to his bone, several broken fingers and lacerations on his right hand, several burns and a dislocated left wrist.
If we would have lost him, drag racing would have been in trouble. As the days and weeks of hospitalization slowly progressed, Force equally and slowly began to get stronger and healthier. Mainly the thought of not being able to race showed me how much I really loved drag racing. Indeed, the transformation from Force of old to Force of today was nothing short of life-altering.
He became more introspective — particularly of his own mortality. He became a physical fitness nut, not by choice but by need to rebuild his body and allow him to remain as productive and victorious as ever in a race car in the nine following seasons. He need look no further than his right foot to quickly flash back that horrible day: he has six screws that were permanently implanted during several hours of surgery later that night after his crash to keep his severely burned toes from falling off.
Then, in almost miraculous fashion, just over four months after his crash, Force was back in a race car in late January during a preseason test-and-tune for nitro-powered Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters at Firebird Raceway in suburban Phoenix. While there had been some hesitation and trepidation of how Force would react and respond once back in his car — most notably from his family — he got back into the gas as if nothing had ever happened. Not only was that a physical, mental and emotional relief to Force and crew chief Austin Coil, in a strange way, it was the closure Force needed from Texas and to go forward from there.
Sure, he still had the same boisterous bravado, the bigger-than-life personality and never missed an opportunity to plug all his sponsors, as well as thank all his family and friends that helped him get back to where he was that day. But at the same time, he also still carried and displayed clear remnants of the crash that almost killed him. He cried. In the roughly three hours we spent together, Force uncharacteristically bared his soul. He showed me the scars from his injuries. He talked at length about how he spent every day working out at a gym, strengthening his still-healing body.
He talked about how lucky he was to be at the racetrack again, let alone still be alive. He talked about cutting back on one of his favorite off-track pastimes, having a cold beer or two — oftentimes with loyal fans — and to lose weight and become healthier.
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