Quote:
Originally Posted by triblk6spd
That record STILL holds?
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No, here is the record :
0-412 MPH IN 3.22 SECONDS SET BY KITTY O'NEIL......
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Many men died before that, here is my Dad's good friend, RUSSELL MENDEZ.
IT WAS MY DAD'S TURN TO DRIVE THE CAR, BUT IT WAS RUSSELL'S BIRTHDAY AND HE REALLY WANTED TO GO AND LAY DOWN A NUMBER..HIS WIFE AND KIDS WERE THERE.
This is a brief account of what happened :
The last fatal crash occured March 16th 1975 @ the GatorNationals. In 1973 Glenn Blakely and Russell Mendez along w/Andy Spada who was a TopFuel Dragster Driver made a variety of changes to the car. Arvil Porter installed the propulsion system, the cylindrical steel nitrogen bottle located fwd. the cockpit was replaced w/fiberglass-wound alum. spherical bottles mounted behind the cockpit, thus moving the CG rearward which gave the car a lower polar moment of inertia. Bodywork now included wheel pants by Nye Frank for the front and rear wheels. The problem w/the front wheel pants was they had at least as much side area fwd of the spindle as behind it and sharp leading edges instead of round ones. Tires were changed to solid experimental tires which prevented tires frm coming apart as in earlier testing. New motor would develope abt. 6000 lbs of thrust.
Mendez would crash at the end of the run. He went through the traps at : 3.10 seconds @ 420+MPH. The Free Spirit veered from the left lane all the way accross the right lane into a post supporting the guardrail. the impact was so tremendous that Mendez was actually ejected from the car. His legs and arms and head were ejected but his torso was still strapped in the 5pt. harness inside the cockpit.
My Dad was the first one to him, he still has nightmares abt it till this day.
He told me Russell's last words to his wife and kids : "Guys I love you, now HURRY UP AND LIGHT THIS DAMN CANDLE!!!"
RIP Russel.
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