R.I.P. Darrell Russell

[Craig]

NHRA Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell succumbed to injuries suffered during an accident at St Louis at the NHRA drag races RIP Darrell :( :( :( Man, the accident didn't look that bad, but I guess he was injured by debris.

[dicudmore]

:(
very sad deal....Darrell has always been one of my favorites, back to the alcohol days.
I'm still not over Blaine's accident in 96 :( :( :(

[dmontzsta]

RIP.
I was just watching drag racing on ESPN when all the winning drivers started dedicating their wins to him.

[checkster]

Hey Craig....saw it earlier on tv.......our prayers to his family...

[MagicMtnDan]

MADISON, ILL. -- Drag racer Darrell Russell died Sunday after his car broke up while traveling about 300 miles per hour and burst into flames during a NHRA Top Fuel race at Gateway International Raceway.
Russell had crossed the finish line on the quarter-mile strip and had deployed his parachute when his dragster came apart in the second round of eliminations at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals.
The car rolled to a halt near a guard wall, and the fire was quickly put out.
Russell, 35, from Hockley, Texas, was unconscious when he was cut from the wreckage, immobilized with a brace and placed on a backboard. He was taken by helicopter to the St. Louis University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later.
Russell is the first participant to be killed in competition at an NHRA national event since Blaine Johnson died in a crash during a qualifying run in the 1996 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Sunday's event continued after a 45-minute delay.
Russell, the 2001 NHRA rookie of the year, had six Top Fuel victories, including the Pontiac Excitement Nationals two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio.
In his 2001 season, he became the third driver in NHRA history to win in his first start.
http://www.minerworksofart.com/NHRA%20web2/Darrell-Russell-300.jpg

[boatnam2]

yea i was watching the race live and seen the crash.it was bad and when the safety safari guy said motor parts came into the cockpit i pretty much new he was gone.sad news.

[Sleek-Jet]

http://www.nhra.com/2004/events/race12/photos/friday/Photo13.jpg
Very tragic indeed.

[rrrr]

I was thinking last night while lying awake...
It is so tough when a young lion and fierce competitor is taken. They give us glimpses of what it takes to stare down the monster and snatch victory, yet sometimes the line is crossed and they do not return.
Our drivers allow us to live vicariously through them. While I believe most drivers will say that they compete for personal challenge and not fan adulation, their time and efforts spent interacting with the fans sustain our desires to feel some small bit of the thrill of racing.
Now family, crew, friends, and fans feel the suffocating reality. Darrell and those before him balanced the insane jumble of speed, power and finesse required to drive a race car on the knife edge. Through no fault of their own skill, fate stopped time, reached down, and took them from us.
Darrell's fellow drivers will carry on their battle with the clock and each other. To know they do so in spite of his passing tells you the intensity of their desire to conquer the beast.
Thanks, Darrell. May you rest easy.

[HavasuDreamin']

Holy shit. I was watching that last night on ESPN. It didn't look like a fatal accident to me at the time. It wasn't as if his car careened (sp?) through the wall at 300 mph +.
I am shocked and saddened at the same time. My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends. :( :( :(

[welk2party]

It is a grim reminder of the extreme danger of motorsports. We take for granted all the safety measures our sports provide. I love motorsports and it saddens me to lose anyone to an accident. We all need to remember to be safe as possible when playing with our own toys because you never know what can happen. My condolences to the Russell family.:frown: