The late Chuck Etchells was a hardcore funny car racer. The dude scraped his way up the ladder and by the time his career peaked he was battling it out with the best racers in the world. Every hard running racer in the funny car category lived through what Chuck does in this video at least once. That situation?
A burn-it-to-the-ground funny car fire in the lights at full speed. In this case it appears that Etchells was hauling some pretty good ass at the 1994 NHRA Gatornationals and when he lifted off the throttle at the finish line the car broke a rod and the fire gets going and gets going fast. KC Spurlock was in the other lane and he had no idea what was going on until Etchells, parachutes burned off, basically passed him looking like the funny car version of Ghost Rider.
The most stunning moment in this sequence is when the car is sliding in its own oil and Etchells manages to basically drift it in his own lane before pretty gently getting it into the guardrail so it would stop. As one would expect, Etchells is exasperated and out of breath as Steve Evans talks to him at the top end. The best part of these vintage interviews is that the dude was not even out of the car long enough to have his helmet off and the microphone is in his face. It’s very raw and reel.
As Etchells says, “Not good.”
And now I have to dig out all of my ‘and they walked away’ VHS tapes and re-watch them. Ought to convert them to DVD.
The sport sorely lacks the likes of Chuck Etchells. Independent campaigners, crew cabs, 5th wheels, only one race car…..! Look at the names on the elimination ladder.
Now we have 500,000 sq ft race shops, hundreds of employees, 25 semi trailers per race team, ….and guess what…no spectators! Imagine that?
Miss you Chuck….Rest In Peace Brother!
Goals and beliefs give people lasting motivation
Goals and beliefs give people lasting motivation