Like we always say, great drag racing drivers are the guys who know what to do instinctively when the crap hits the fan. Such was the case recently at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas during an AA/FA match race. The aptly named “Shockwave” car suffered a violent and instantaneous rear tire explosion while accelerating down the eighth mile strip and rather than a horrifying wreck with a short wheelbase AA/FA rolling over like a pencil, we have footage of driver Bobby Marriott keeping the car in his lane, getting the chutes out, and actually making the top end turn…on three wheels!
We cannot imagine what it felt like in the cockpit of that car when the rear tire exploded like it was stuffed with C4, but we’re happy that Marriott was not struck by any of the large shards of rubber, that he managed to keep the car off of his opponent, and that it seems he got away with only body damage and the need for a new beadlock wheel when all was said and done.The AA/FA scene in Texas is hopping and we know why. The dudes are hard core racers who handle these unpredictable rockets with skill and bravery as seen below. They run high three second laps in the eighth when things are right and that’s a show we’d pay to see!
Press play below to see a truly masterful drag race driving job in an AA/FA!
That looks like a short track with a guardrail across the end. Could have been much worse.
Nah its longer than you think. It was designed to be a 1/4 mile strip but decided not to run as a 1/4mile and run as a 1/8th instead. This is North Star Drag Way here in Denton Texas.
Watch Roadkills episode with them buying and building the Barracuda, that was this track with the old car car dump next to it.
in an effort to give credit to the ‘driver’ as it says in this poorly written story, the driver is Bobby Marriott, the event is the Fall Nostalgia Nationals and the Outlaw Fuel Altereds were one of three groups running, the ‘driver’ did a fantastic job controlling his race car and keeping it off the guardrail and particularly Jimmy Jones who was in the other lane in this qualifying pass, and yes Greg that guardrail at the end of the strip needs to go ..
john I think driver does a great job and i think the story tells that!
Anyone that’s raced very long has blown a tire I think. And everyone that has knows the felling and what the driver’s going through.
Bobby did a very good job keeping it straight.
I’ve blown a couple. One time I managed to get stopped without hitting anything. The other I tagged the guard rails on both sides about 4 times each. One tag short of a record.
Those guardrails are scary. I wouldn’t run anything fast there. Definitely not an altered.
The reason there is a guard rail at the end of the track is there is a go-kart track just past the end of the shut off area. You can see the heads of the cart racers going by in this video. Not saying its right….just the way it is. Nice track, good racing there.
Know that feeling,like having a hand on your throat……super effort for a short tack.