Nitro Dragster Fire - Action!!

N-N-N-N-N-Nitro!
Nothing says bad-ass like driving a front-engine dragster while it's on fire. Just ask Jack Harris, he did it at the Good Guys Northwest Nostalgia Drags at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. Jack claimed he had no hint of the impending roast as he staged Nitro John Blanchard's '60s reproduction AA/FD nitro dragster. He was racing next to his son for the first time when a piston let go and pressurized the crankcase, blowing the valve cover breather hose off the Donovan 392 Hemi. The oil coated Jack's helmet then sprayed the headers, causing a huge fireball at what track officials estimated happened at 240 mph for 4 seconds at 2,000 degrees. Because Jack couldn't see, he pulled the chutes first and waited to scrub off speed before pulling the fire-system pin to keep it from dissipating in the 200-mph air. Every painted surface was cooked off of his helmet, but thanks to a new Carbon X firesuit, he didn't have a burn on him.

By Mark J. Rebilas

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