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Dixon down but not out after accidents
Bristol, Apr 27: Three years ago, in the heat of one of the NHRA`s tightest Top Fuel stretch drives, Larry Dixon, Tony Schumacher and Gary Scelzi each battled for the title with spellbinding performances. But at the event in Memphis, Tenn., both Dixon and Schumacher crashed hard in separate incidents, allowing Scelzi to ice his third career championship.
Bristol, Apr 27: Three years ago, in the heat of one of the NHRA's tightest Top Fuel stretch drives, Larry Dixon, Tony Schumacher and Gary Scelzi each battled for the title with spellbinding performances. But at the event in Memphis, Tenn., both Dixon and Schumacher crashed hard in separate incidents, allowing Scelzi to ice his third career championship.
Saturday night, at the other end of Tennessee, at the Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, Dixon again suffered a devastating accident in the final Top Fuel pair of the weekend's final qualifying session as he ran side-by-side with Brandon Bernstein.
It remains unclear what touched off the high-speed crash, but it was just as Dixon crossed the finish line and deployed his parachutes that the rear wing on his Miller Lite dragster collapsed, sending the defending series and event champion hard into the left-side retaining wall. His Murf McKinney-built machine then ricocheted across the track on its side and eventually slid to a stop as Bernstein avoided contact.
Dixon was out of his car almost immediately and insisted to the NHRA's medical personnel on the scene that he was unhurt. Moments later on ESPN2, Dixon spoke about his wild ride.
"The thing I feel most is anger at wrecking this great hot rod," he said. "It hit pretty hard and after I got into the wall all I could do was hang on and wait for the car to stop. But this has been such a super race car and Dick Lahaie has given us a great combination for it and that's the part that hurts the most."
Dixon's wife, Ali, was at the top end of the track minutes after the accident to embrace her husband in what was clearly an unnerving experience as the session wrapped up after several rain delays. Lahaie was also shaken by the mishap, but was relieved his driver was unhurt.
Thanks to the "Eddie Hill Rule", named after the former Top Fuel legend and 1993 champ who suffered a serious crash in Sonoma, Calif., in 1997 during qualifying and was unable to race Sunday because his car could not be repaired, Dixon will be allowed to bring out his back-up car for the first round of eliminations Sunday, where he will start from the No. 2 position.
Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's crew will have much work to do to get the replacement car race-ready for the opening round, but they are especially grateful that their driver again avoided serious injury in a frightening crash, this time in Thunder Valley.
Bureau Report
Saturday night, at the other end of Tennessee, at the Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, Dixon again suffered a devastating accident in the final Top Fuel pair of the weekend's final qualifying session as he ran side-by-side with Brandon Bernstein.
It remains unclear what touched off the high-speed crash, but it was just as Dixon crossed the finish line and deployed his parachutes that the rear wing on his Miller Lite dragster collapsed, sending the defending series and event champion hard into the left-side retaining wall. His Murf McKinney-built machine then ricocheted across the track on its side and eventually slid to a stop as Bernstein avoided contact.
Dixon was out of his car almost immediately and insisted to the NHRA's medical personnel on the scene that he was unhurt. Moments later on ESPN2, Dixon spoke about his wild ride.
"The thing I feel most is anger at wrecking this great hot rod," he said. "It hit pretty hard and after I got into the wall all I could do was hang on and wait for the car to stop. But this has been such a super race car and Dick Lahaie has given us a great combination for it and that's the part that hurts the most."
Dixon's wife, Ali, was at the top end of the track minutes after the accident to embrace her husband in what was clearly an unnerving experience as the session wrapped up after several rain delays. Lahaie was also shaken by the mishap, but was relieved his driver was unhurt.
Thanks to the "Eddie Hill Rule", named after the former Top Fuel legend and 1993 champ who suffered a serious crash in Sonoma, Calif., in 1997 during qualifying and was unable to race Sunday because his car could not be repaired, Dixon will be allowed to bring out his back-up car for the first round of eliminations Sunday, where he will start from the No. 2 position.
Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's crew will have much work to do to get the replacement car race-ready for the opening round, but they are especially grateful that their driver again avoided serious injury in a frightening crash, this time in Thunder Valley.
Bureau Report