October 11/07
The recent death of nitro funny car driver Eric Medlen brought about a number of questions from acquaintances of mine. They wondered how dangerous our sport is. Did I know Eric personally? Do the drivers of the nitro cars really have any control over them? Are there any groupie chicks hanging around the track looking for action? Actually, the last question was asked by my wife Gloria but you get the idea. Eric’s death was big news for three reasons. One: He was a driver for John Force Racing, one of the highest profile teams in motorsports. Two: Fatalities in drag racing are rare and draw the attention of the media because of that. Three: Eric was a genuine good person and ambassador of our sport.

Eric’s death was the first in the nitro funny car class in over thirty years. That is an excellent record! The top fuel dragster class had not fared quite so well, having four deaths in the same period. This seems odd since the funny cars appear to be out of control most of the time and they’ve got that bomb of an engine sitting in front of the driver. You hear the drivers talk about how aggressively you have to drive the funny car compared to finessing the dragster. Why do the statistics not back up our perception? I think there are a couple of answers. When a top fuel dragster goes out of control and slams a retaining wall the whiplash effect can be devastating. Engines and differentials are violently catapulted out of the chassis. The impact and resulting G-force is incredible. This does not happen in the funny car to the same extent. The most obvious reason why is that the wheelbase of the dragster is two and a half times that of the funny car. The second part of the answer is that the drivers today are far more combative behind the wheel. “Pedaling” is no longer the exclusive trait of the funny car driver. There is increased pressure on the driver to continue the run and not abort. A driver cannot throw in the towel early because of an aggressive clutch setting that sent the tires up in smoke. The drivers today are pushing the envelope to the limit and many are performing beyond their ability or comfort zone. No one wants to be called a quitter.

While contemplating the direction our sport is going and simultaneously assuring Gloria that groupies only really happen at Joe Cocker concerts, another thought presented itself. Which class in drag racing would have the highest mortality rate? We have been discussing the two nitro classes but I can remember a time when some high profile pro stock drivers were killed and another era when the alcohol funny cars were taking more lives than they should have been. A lot of these fatalities were happening on the match race circuit where race track preparation is sometimes below standard but pressure from the track promoter to perform, is high. Chicago style qualifying and personal bragging rights also contribute to drivers making out of control passes. These are the realities of match racing. Today the pro mods are attending the “booked in” shows more than ever with one of the results being an increasing crash ratio. But I think the group that understands match racing and the inherent dangers of it the best are the jet car drivers.

Undoubtedly this group has the highest mortality rate in drag racing and perhaps in motorsports, although the boat racers rack up some pretty scary numbers. The deaths do not make front page news but are frequent. I lost one of my best friends in a jet car crash and have mourned the loss of many others, a total that would surpass those of the combined pro classes. The jet dragsters and funny cars give a whole new perspective to the term “risk taking.” And the risk is not so much in the mechanics of the race cars as it is in the attitude and ego of the drivers. These men and women are professional show people, many who make their living racing on the exhibition circuit. One sanctioning body has tried to eliminate the jet classes but the small tracks have always banded together to resist such a move. On any given weekend throughout the summer, jet dragsters and funny cars will be the premier attraction at dozens of race tracks. This will be the only chance many fans will have to see a race car go over 275 mph. In fact at one time a sanctioning body retained a select group of jet dragsters and their drivers whose job is was to put 300+ mph runs on the scoreboards at national events. That’s what spectators wanted to see but the top fuel dragster class was having a tough time doing it. That’s a lot of pressure but typical of what goes on between track operators and jet owners.

These “pilots” overdrive the tracks, literally get the cars airborne, and flirt with disaster every time out. The quickest of this group are tuning the air/fuel ratios in the turbine every pass and are constantly messing around with aerodynamics to be the quickest. They race at tracks with inadequate shutdown space so it becomes necessary to check out the top end before racing to see if there is a path cut through a field or wooded area as an escape route in case of parachute failure. At tracks with poor lighting for nighttime racing the teams will position a crew member in the shutdown area with a flashlight so as to give the driver a “beacon” of reference. Granted, nobody twists their arms to do this and they accept the risk for the rewards at the end of the day. And just to be clear, not every promoter is uncaring. Many are as concerned for the safety of the race car drivers and the fans, as they are the show. Not every promoter puts unreasonable pressure on the drivers. But, a typical weekend might find a number of jets collected at a big east coast track for a Sunday matinee. Someone might ask “Where’s Pete, he was going to be here?” The reply would likely be “Oh, he crashed last night at a Midwest track!” Such is the life of a jet racer.

Jets are an important part of our sport. I admit that at one time I thought they were a bit of a circus but in fact what they are is a super bunch of devoted racers who will put it all on the line to give you the best show possible. And remember…”Jet Guys Do It With Thrust.” Oh boy, this should get Gloria going again. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

You folks look after each other!

Bogus