A somber moment: Blaine Johnson's nitromethane-fueled dragster burst into flames after crossing the finish line Saturday at the U.S. Nationals.
A somber moment: Blaine Johnson's nitromethane-fueled dragster burst into flames after crossing the finish line Saturday at the U.S. Nationals.
The Associated Press
Blaine Johnson, the NHRA Winston Top Fuel points leader, died Saturday from injuries suffered when his car went out of control going 300 mph during qualifying for the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Johnson, 34, died at 5:17 p.m. EST after several hours of surgery at Methodist Hospital, nursing administrator Connie Nimereala said.
Nimereala said the exact cause of death was not known, though hospital officials earlier said Johnson suffered critical head injuries and multiple fractures of his left leg in the accident.
Johnson is the first Top Fuel driver to be killed at an NHRA national event since February 1971, when Pete Robinson died at the Internationals at Pomona, Calif.
Johnson, of Santa Maria, Calif., twice slammed into walls after his engine malfunctioned just after he crossed the finish line at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Johnson had just completed a track-record run of 4.612 seconds, good for the No. 1 qualifying spot, when the accident occurred in the shutdown area in the left lane.