We’ve not been reporting on the tragic death of a spectator at last weekend’s NHRA event in Phoenix, Arizona, where a wheel separated from Anton Brown’s Top Fuel dragster and bounced into the midway. It is not that we’re ignoring the story, we’ve just not had much to add that has not already been said. With the news that Fuel cars may be sporting wheel tethers by the Gatornationals in March, we’re jumping into the fray.

John Medlen, a long time brain in the John Force Racing camp and safety innovator in drag racing, is working on the design of the tethers that may be required equipment on all cars before the next racre.

Medlen’s son Eric was killed in a Funny Car testing accident back in 2007. Since then, John has committed himself to advancing the safety of drag racing, and John Force has provided him the opportunity to do just that.

Other racing series have been using steel cable tethers for nearly 20 years, but those never made it to drag racing. Apparently the way those tethers are mounted and their use of braided steel cable would not be suitable for drag racing, so Medlen s building a better mousetrap.

ESPN’s Terry Blount really does a nice job in describing the problem and analyzing some of the solutions. It’s job #1 to keep racers safe and John Medlen is working to do that.

Source — ESPN.com — Medlen working to add wheel tethers.