Funny Cars have a notorious reputation for being thrilling yet perilous, particularly in their early years. The risk of fires was prevalent among these fiberglass-bodied vehicles, with incidents frequent enough that drivers like Leroy “the Israeli Rocket” Goldstein had plexiglass windows added to monitor flames and deploy fire extinguishers. Between 1972 and early 1973, an alarming 18 cars caught fire, yet the class thrived in popularity.

Incidents of fiery mishaps continued to mark the history of Funny Cars. Several notable occurrences include Barry “Machine Gun” Kelly’s fiery finale as he crashed his Vega into another car, resulting in minor burns for himself but no injuries to the other driver. At the 1987 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Henry Phillips experienced a catastrophic fire that led to severe burns, prompting his retirement. Similarly, Clint Miller and Shirley Muldowney suffered serious burns during crashes in the 1970s yet returned to racing post-recovery.

Safety crews often played a crucial role in these harrowing situations, as seen when Cogo Eads and Danny Ongais managed to escape their burning cars with minimal injury. Even Dale Bartlett faced a mid-track fire in 1983, managing to extinguish it with assistance from NHRA responders.

Despite the dangers associated with Funny Cars, drivers demonstrated remarkable resilience, showcasing their enduring passion for racing amidst the perils of engine explosions and uncontrollable flames.



Source: competitionplus.com