Crash Kills Top-Fuel Driver Russell

Top-fuel driver Darrell Russell was killed Sunday in Gateway International Raceway at Madison, Ill., after crashing at more than 320 mph at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals. He was 35.

Russell’s dragster was clocked at 322.73 mph over the final 66 feet of the quarter-mile straightaway, with an elapsed time of 4.611 seconds.

A left rear tire then exploded, and the dragster crossed the center line. The car then erupted into a fireball as it moved back to the left lane retaining barrier and slid to a halt.

Russell was unconscious but breathing on his own when he was airlifted by helicopter to St. Louis University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later.

It is the NHRA’s first death at a national event since Blaine Johnson was killed during qualifying at the U.S. Nationals in 1996 in Indianapolis.

“I don’t know at this time what the official cause of death was,” said Graham Light, senior vice president of race operations. “We won’t really know until a thorough investigation.... It could be 24 hours, it could be longer.” The NHRA impounded the car and its pieces. The crash delayed the racing about 45 minutes.

Russell, from Hockley, Texas, is survived by his wife, Julie.

Russell was in the left lane against Scott Kalitta in the second round, and the two went down the track side by side. At the finish line, video appeared to show the left rear tire shredding. The rear wing then twisted and was pulled down. The parachute deployed, but with the tire destroyed, the rear of the dragster swung forward, breaking in two places, with the rear of Russell’s car making contact with the front of Kalitta’s, tearing the parachute away. Kalitta was uninjured.

The chassis continued to spin as flames engulfed the engine and driver compartment. The dragster continued to slide along the left wall until finally coming to a rest. Emergency personnel were there within seconds spraying the car to put out the flames.

According to an NHRA spokesman, the driver compartment remained intact. Workers cut away the roll cage, immobilized Russell’s spine and removed his helmet and head-and-neck restraint before loading him into an ambulance to take him to the helicopter.

“The mood is horrible,” Light said. “When something like this happens, you go through the exercise of completing the event and getting out of here. I’m watching the winner’s circle, and there’s not much celebration.”

Russell broke a 37-race winless streak two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio. This week, Russell was the No. 1 qualifier.

He defeated T.J. Zizzo in the first round.

Kalitta, who ran to Russell’s side after bringing his dragster to a stop, was beaten in the finals by his cousin, Doug Kalitta.

In his four-year career, Russell had won six races in 17 final-round appearances. He was fourth in the points last year, and was fourth in the standings this season. He was the 2001 rookie of the year, and was only the third driver in NHRA history to win his first national event, the 2001 Winternationals at Pomona.