Top Fuel Shelly Howard dies?

BobGPz

Registered User
I haven't kept too much up to date on the NHRA as I no longer have cable, but I just read Michelle Howard died in a practice run??
TULSA, Okla. -- Racer Michelle "Shelly" Howard may have lost consciousness and been unable to cut the fuel firing the engine of her dragster before it flipped over and shot backward, killing her and her son.
Got this from: http://www.sportsline.com/autoracing/story/8368253
 
BobGPz said:
I haven't kept too much up to date on the NHRA as I no longer have cable, but I just read Michelle Howard died in a practice run??
TULSA, Okla. -- Racer Michelle "Shelly" Howard may have lost consciousness and been unable to cut the fuel firing the engine of her dragster before it flipped over and shot backward, killing her and her son.
Got this from: http://www.sportsline.com/autoracing/story/8368253

That's horrible. I just read the article, but you have to think about what actually happened and it just blows your mind. Apparently the rail went airborne at half track which is at over 200mph in that vehicle. It then flipped around, and throttle still wide open, stopped, reversed direction, and headed back toward the starting line with driver apparently unconscious where it hit the chase vehicle still sitting BEHIND the starting line killing her son on board! Un-freaking believable. :eek:
 
Out of the past 5 years of drag racing with my father and I, I've witnessed about 3 deaths from crashes. I saw the whole thing on each of them too.

They are really depressing and just kills the whole weekend.

Ironic how after somebody dies at the track it gets rained out the next day.

I have respect for the Top Fuel guys because they know when you drive an 8,000 HP, 2300lbs, 335mph trap speed car, they are risking their lives.
 
A terrible tragedy. I know it won't help all the time, but I wonder if drag cars could use ignition interupters like the Monster trucks run. In this case someone could have shut the car down.
 
wow wtf that is horrible. How in the world could something like that happen? I mean just the luck that the dragster got turned around and kept going is just crazy.

Shane
 
wezar said:
A terrible tragedy. I know it won't help all the time, but I wonder if drag cars could use ignition interupters like the Monster trucks run. In this case someone could have shut the car down.
That is an excellent idea Rick!
 
wezar said:
A terrible tragedy. I know it won't help all the time, but I wonder if drag cars could use ignition interupters like the Monster trucks run. In this case someone could have shut the car down.
Actually this is what happened to a guy at an NHRA points race in St. Louis last year.

This guys pedal got stuck wide open and he panicked. All he did was slam on the brakes and didn't even think of shutting the car off. At the end of the track there is a sand pit with a hill at the end of it. He hit the hill going about 160mph, went over the trees and face first into the pond behind the trees. The force was so great it pushed the motor onto his lap and crushed his body.

I saw the whole thing too and wish I hadn't. Probably the worst thing i've seen before in real life. The other people that I saw die was crashes at mid track flipping over the guardrail and catching on fire. This guy just got crushed to death and he was 22 yrs old.
 
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