Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Horrible crash today at the Midwest Nationals. What are your thoughts about safety and the cause? Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbIeb...ature=youtu.be


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Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Well, a couple of things.. First off, at the risk of seeming negative, I do not have very favorable opinions of Pro Mod. These cars seem to be utterly unreliable, and regularly have issues, and/or are on the edge of disaster. What results is at a minimum one driver aborting with issues and a single/non-race that seems to be about 75% of the time, or at median what seems to be incessant oildowns, and at the worst what you see here.

Secondly, while I have no personal experience relative to this class to speak with any authority, in my opinion, the car was somewhat out of shape from the initial launch, and it would appear the driver might have considered aborting the run much sooner.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Trying to drive that beast out in the marbles will get you that result more times than not.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Watching the video frame by frame I noticed the drive did not have his arm tethers connected. His arms can be seen outside the car many times. Jim


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Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I don't see any arm tethers OR a window net. Something break?

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

No arm tethers in a Pro Mod my friends. If that car runs an automatic, it broke the tire loose, shifted into high gear , and the wheel speed did the rest. Pro Mods are BAD machines, but that's what makes them so awesome! Like Funny car used to be.
Glad Adam is ok

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

No arm restraints in Pro Mod?

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Exactly what Kevin said. This class is a giant step backwards in the evolution of organized drag racing. Poorly designed funny cars with doors.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

no surprise, a regular occurrence in that class.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

All these classes, the Pro Mods, 10.5 tire, DR tire classes, all of them, you read about crashes. Cars are way over powered, nitrous, turbos, blowers. It's not a lot different from the old days. How many of us built killer engines and stuffed them in inadequate chassis. I'm guilty.

The difference is, most of us got wiser along the way and learned what it takes to make the whole car run. These kinds of cars always seem to be just on the edge of out of control. My view is similar to when my step son wanted to race ATV's and dirt bikes, just seems like a good way to get hurt, badly maimed or killed to me. If I'm gonna tie that much money up in something I could easily crash, you'd be better off racing a stock car.

My view, others mileage may vary.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

and their drivers refuse to lift/abort.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Failure to grasp Warren Johnson's wisdom: "wrecked race cars do not win races or money".

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Reminiscent of the wild rides with AA/FA and Wild Willie Borsch.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

TA/FC engines in suspended shorter wheelbase cars with less downforce, hell no it doesn't work. Been saying for a while that they better make changes to this class before they get someone killed. If not they certainly risk the whole class going away from national events.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I pray for the driver and his family, Unfortuantly many of the safety rules there are today have been drafted in someones blood. I watched my brother in law die at my feet due to poorly designed seat belts and the lack of a tech crew at the track. I helped rase my 6 month old nephew because he lost his father, watched my BILs dad drink himself to death because of the loss of his son. Tragic just tragic.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Racing is dangerous.....plain and simple. We all know the risks when we signed up.

This thread reminds me while in the stands watching Pro-mod at this years US Nationals. A bad accident occurred and the older woman sitting just in front of us with her husband freakin out and blaming it on the driver. "What's wrong with him!?!" "Why didn't he let out?!?" What a stupid stupid man!!".

It doesn't matter if your in Top-Fuel car or 15 sec Stock car. That is one of the reasons why many insurance companies ask you if you skydive, bungee jump, drag race/road race or participate in any other dangerous activities. Accidents will and do happen regardless of where and when. I'm sure most of us know this but put it in the back of our mind never giving it a 2nd thought. If we thought about it all the time none of us would strap ourselves in the seat every weekend.

I have a few friends that build and race these types(pro-mod, outlaw, drag radial, pro-5.0,etc) of cars. They take every precaution to make them safe. They are a handful to drive no doubt and they are very temperamental because they are pushing the boundaries. But to me(and many others) that's one of the things that make them exciting to watch is its a class that is pushing the envelope of man and machine.

I look back to earlier racing with memories of "when men were men". My grandfather never wore skinny jeans and got his nails done. Men of iron. Racing was dangerous and that was the draw. Safety equipment is continually being improved and it needs to be. We just have to remember that racing and other activities are considered by others to be dangerous on some level.

I'm 100% for safety and everyone making it home to there loved ones. All of us have a choice on wether to race or not and even what class we participate in. Not everyone would strap themselves into a race car or race motorcycles. That's one of things that set racers apart. Not long ago racers were considered suicidal thrill seeking outlaws. The term "Hot Rodder" was considered a negative term , the type of person you wouldn't want your daughter dating.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I find real close competition to be my draw to racing. The danger has never been the draw, it's just a risk that is accepted, the draw is beating the guy in the other car. There is of course risk involved, and wrecks happen. However, I find no lure in excessive risk, a high possibility of carnage, mechanical or physical, is a sure buzz kill for me. Watching people drive cars that are constantly out of shape, trying to see how far they can go before crashing, to try to go fast, is about like watching reality television, it does not hold any allure at all for me. There's pushing the envelope, and then there's juggling rattlesnakes.

There's a certain growing element of "fans" who go to any sort of "wild" racing see the crashes. I'm not one of them.

I've never figured how not lifting made anyone more of a "man". I suppose it makes good "film footage" for "news" at eleven though.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I saw a picture he posted of himself from his hospital bed. His arm is completely bandaged and his hand is covered. In the video his arm and hand are clearly outside the car getting injured.He vows to return to drag racing.

All one has to do is look at the number of crashes divided into how many runs are made to see how out of line this ratio would be.....

I am no statistician but it is almost a given that at least one car will crash and be destroyed at every race they are at.....

Too much power.....too short of a wheelbase...and drivers with questionable judgment at times....or maybe there is just no avoiding some of these wrecks as it happens to fast to avoid it....

They are more like a circus act to me....or maybe something like watching Evil Knievel or Benny the Bomb....LOL

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Looks like a lot of parts were not tethered.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Not related to this crash,but I did hear the announcer say that a dragster or something lost a collector this weekend.It is beyond me how this keeps happening.

And a stocker lost a T-top.Pretty soon there will be a tether for that too.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

OK this is "fan racing"!

Same people that basically go to NASCAR, figure 8, demo derby. Yeah, exciting for the fans, till someone gets killed or worse. Wait till one of these beasts gets loose and ends up in the stands like NASCAR or the IRL has done. I went to the Indy Pinks a few years back and sat in the stands. I'm sure same mentality of drunks and idiots rooting for something to happen. If this is what it takes to put butts in the stands, I'll go do something else with my time.

Yes, racing is dangerous. Going back to my first post on this. Many of us have built, worked on/with, been around, know of cars that probably shouldn't have been on/near a race track. No, it's not a safe hobby.

How many of us have gotten hurt in the garage or even the driveway working on our cars? Accidents can and do happen. Yeah, there's pushing the envelope and then there's just plain not smart. These cars are similar to the old AA/FA's, exciting to watch. Sooner or later something bad is gonna happen. 40 some years ago, I knew a guy that had one of these death traps. Had the pleasure of getting to work on it a time or two. That thing was a handful. By todays safety standards, they wouldn't even let you through the gate with something like that. Much less get on the track!

I was pitted next to a guy and his Dad running one of thes type cars at the Doorslammers last year. Real nice guys, sat down and talked just like any other racers. It amazes me how much money you can tie up in one of these things.

It's similar to me at least, to building a derby or a figure 8 car. One mistake and you own a REAL EXPENSIVE pile of scrap. I don't advocate eliminating the classes. One should be free to build what you want. For me, can't afford one, wouldn't build one if I could. Don't even care to watch'em.

Like I said, my opinion, others mileage may vary.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

The danger aspect doesn't attract me. I prefer a class that is pretty safe and a car design that works well. Being on the edge of disaster is not attractive to me.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

And a stocker lost a T-top.Pretty soon there will be a tether for that too.

I saw it happen two cars in front of me Friday morning. At first I thought it was a hood.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

How can they make these cars handle better? Is it just wheelbase, downforce or suspension (alky funnycars have no suspension?) ????

If they made the cars solid rears, body roll and reaction may eliminate some of these accidents.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

These cars are down right gnarly ,high 5 door slammers ,they are crowd pleasers and i see no changes in the class .

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Pro mod and all the small tire stuff is and accident waiting to happen,it's not if you're going to crash but when. I don't like the ideal of crashing and know there is not enough money can be printed to keep those cars running,so I have no interest in having one even if I could.
They have Quick8's around here if I did have that type of car would not race anywhere they did'nt have top notch safety crew like NHRA safety safari. there has been a few incidents around here close that I know the only thing that saved their life was a miracle and most of us are smart enough to know where those come from.

Mike Taylor 3601

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

http://images40.fotki.com/v1370/phot...SC01218-vi.jpg If you call this a step backwards then you have no idea what advancements are being made to fast doorslammer drag racing! YES Pro Mods are on the edge of control and hard to handle but like it or not these are the MEN who are some of the most skilled drivers in all of drag racing and no they dont try and crash some pro mods are like bracket cars and go straight down everytime and others are very erratic but going 5 seconds your always on the edge of control and if you wanna get rid of a class just because you dont understand it should BACK OFF!! Its not a sideshow!!!!!!!!!! These guys are every bit of proffesional as ALKY Funny Cars and Dragsters! Great Class Racers like Tommy Mauney,Gene Fulton among others have raced in Pro Mod and yes they are a handful and may not have long enough wheelbase for your liking but if you wanna go about it that way why dont we all race small block dragsters cause S/S cars are tooooo short and overpowered............ Why dont we get rid of Automobile Racing cause its toooooooo dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!! These Cars are very sensitive and hard to drive but thats what makes it very kool just like Drag Racing was back in the day! I dont recall Drag Racers being alll oooohhhhhh thats nooot saaaafe uhhh DRAG RACING ISNT SAFE!!!!!!!!!!PERIOD I think people are getting more and more paranoid about being safe every day and its really annoying in racing cause anytime you go over 50 MPH your life is in gods hands and as a Driver I pray everytime I go down the track and it shouldnt be anyone elses buisness to tell me what I should and should not race! SORRY FOR THE LONG POST I know a lot of Pro Mod guys and love the class and this is one of the topics that may drive me away from the sport......

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Drag racing is dangerous. I nearly killed myself on a 7.90 pass at 170 in a dragster. I had all my safety gear on but still got a significant concussion, separated shoulder joint, and my back burned up due to the two-piece suit coming partially apart while the fire came through the seat belt hole under me. Should we ban dragsters? (My mom would say so.)

Pro mods are the most entertaining class in drag racing right now, at least judging by my 10-year old son at the Gatornationals. We should make them as safe as we can but this sport will never be chess.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Ah, I see. The easily offended are out in force, and "MEN" drive Pro Mod. :rolleyes:

(I suppose if "MEN" drive Pro Mod, everyone else is just a sissy.)

In a nutshell, if a drag racing class can't go more than 3-4 events without having a car rolled up in a ball, there's a problem. It's called drag racing, not drag wrecking.

If you get your feelings hurt when people point out that the number of wrecks for a given number of passes is way out of line, then I guess you'll just have to be all offended by the truth and facts.

I'm betting Pro Mod and classes like it are driving the cost of insurance up for track operators and sanctiuoning bodies, you don't have that many violent wrecks with parts flying everywhere and have the people who write policies ignore it. Which means all of us are paying their insurance premiums. Further, we're also having to sit around and wait while they clean up the mess.

I don't want to see the class eliminated. But by the same token, I don't think everyone else should be paying the increased costs and sitting around during the clean up. They need to clean up their act. If they don't, odds are, it will get cleaned up for them and they won't like it.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

No not everyone is a sissy but if your such an expert drag racer why dont you tell me how much youve won and how fast does your car go? If you have a problem with Pro Mod running at National events or anywhere else go tell the pro mod guys they should go run somewhere else or quit running altogeather to theyre faces instead of talking on a message board...... It shouldnt be anyone elses buisness what somebody else wants to run or what classes are ran or how they race unluess you drive or participate in that particular class.... If the track owners didnt want Pro Mods then they would have done away with them years ago.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I assure you that Alan has no problem telling anyone his opinion face to face.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Ask anyone who knows me, I'll tell anyone what I think, face to face.

It's pretty obvious no one will be telling you anything, you're convinced you know more than anyone else.

I'm a crew chief, transmission builder, and engine builder, have been for decades. With a few modest awards for my modest success. Never bee na great driver, never claimed to be one.

So, now you can tell us about how your opinion is so much more valid than anyone else's because you're the greatest gift to drag racing there is.

Facts are facts. It doesn't matter whether you like them, they're still facts. Even if they offend you, they're still facts.

It is everyone's business who pays an entry fee and a membership fee, because everyone who does carries the burden of the insurance premiums, the down time, and the clean up. We all use the same track and the same facility. So we all share the cost, be it time or money. So yeah, if you race at a national event, it is somewhat your business what goes on at the event, even if it isn't in the exact same class as you compete in.

Tell me again where I said I wanted Pro Mod removed from anything. If you can read, and you take the time to read, you'll note, in the post you quoted, where it says "I don't want to see the class eliminated". There, it's posted in red, bold, italics, and underlined. Can you see it now?

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Im not valid and dont know anything and never said I did and honestly im an idiot who gave my opinion

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Our favorite sport is not so bad.

Have a look at THE ISLE OF MANN!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D09yD0MN4Vg"]World's MOST Dangerous Race ★HD★ World's Greatest Motor-Sporting Event✔ FULL THROTTLE-ISLE of MAN TT - YouTube[/ame]

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

Just writing that sentence proved your statement!

JimR

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

No wonder he got all tangled up, right Mick?

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I love watching Pro Mods. They're great for the sport of drag racing. I do not have the guts to drive one.

I wanted to give my opinion so I'm not confused with someone else with a similar name.:D

Brad Rose
D5

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

This is a very odd situation here lol

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I think Pro-Mod is one of the last classes that still has a personality to it.

Re: Horrible Pro Mod Crash - Your Thoughts
 

I agree.

Pro Mod is my favorite class by far. Imagine that. :)