During the NHRA Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, drivers Tony Stewart and Doug Kalitta were involved in a high-speed collision that left them both uninjured. Kalitta won the race, clocking in at 3.78 seconds, but experienced a front suspension failure in his dragster at 335 mph, causing him to lose control. The vehicle veered across the centerline and collided with Stewart’s dragster, which then tipped onto its side and struck a concrete guardrail.

Stewart, shaken from the incident, recalled being confused and uncertain about the crash, only remembering waking up after the impact. Despite suffering a headache and a minor hand injury, he noted that he had experienced worse crashes in his sprint car career. Both drivers were evaluated by NHRA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Surface and were cleared to continue.

Kalitta explained that the left front tire had blown, leading to the rapid escalation of the incident. He expressed relief that both he and Stewart were unharmed, marking the crash as one of the worst of his career. Under NHRA guidelines, Kalitta was able to use a backup chassis in the ongoing eliminations. After about an hour, he returned to the track and successfully defeated Steve Torrence, securing the points lead and advancing to the final round.



Source: www.dragzine.com