We’re back again with more crazy video from Jim Knights at Lebanon Valley Dragway. On the same weekend of the insane Funny Car Wreck we showed you earlier, Ray Helger, driving the historic King and Marshall AA/FD went into a nutso wheelstand and came crashing back down to Earth, in very violent fashion.
A little history. Through the 1960s and 1970s the team of Jimmy King and Don Marshall ruled the New England drag racing roost when it came to nitro burning machinery. Early in their careers the men worked as a tandem. Later on they brought in talent like Don Roberts to shoe for them.
Outside their many race wins and cross country appearances, one of the most notable moments for the team came in 1970 at the US Nationals when Jimmy King powered off the starting line into a massive wheelstand that actually drove the car right over backward! Noting their sense of humor, the pair mounted a small caster wheel to the top of the roll cage to make things easier on track staff if it happened again!
In the early 2000s, the King and Marshall car was brought back to life by New England drag racing pioneer Sy Sidebotham. Sy cackled the car all across the country and did a fine job with the machine until he passed away a few years ago. From there the car landed in the capable hands of nostalgia drag racing nut Ray Helger. Helger brought Jimmy King, the original driver back into the mix as the crew chief and they run the car all over New England and at selected nostalgia events around the country. The car is a little different than a typical cackle machine because there have been hidden safety enhancements made to allow the car to run eighth-mile shots at full bore.
In this video, you’ll see Ray Helger drop the hammer and the car dead hooks, climbs toward the sky and then comes crashing back down in a tough-to-watch fashion. Watch all the way to the end to see the still photos of the launch and landing. The car about twists itself into a pretzel!
UG-LEE.
Did almost the same thing at the NHRR a few years ago.