People

Drag Racing Deaths

Notable Famous Deaths
Updated July 3, 2024 120.5K views 12 items

Deaths by drag race car crash are listed below. Fatal drag racing accidents at races that occurred on race tracks, due to motor malfunction, driver's carelessness, or could be just bad luck are listed here. The year of these drag car crashes are seen in the discussion column. These deaths have been horrifying and terrifying. There are some pretty big names on this list of drag racing deaths. This is the worst possible thing that can happen when you race, but if you're not careful, it is a consequence.

What are the worst drag racing deaths? Take a look at this list and you'll find out that answer.

  • Blaine Johnson

    Blaine Johnson

    31-Aug-96
    Blaine H. Johnson (May 22, 1962 – August 31, 1996) was a professional drag racer. Blaine, along with his lifelong crew chief and brother, Alan, were competitors in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Series, a series which they entered in 1988. Johnson won four championships in that series (1990–1993). He entered the Top Fuel class in 1994 after receiving his competition license for that class prior to the beginning of the season that year. At the time of his death, Johnson held a record 26 NHRA titles in the Alcohol Division, until he was later surpassed by Rick Santos. However, on August 31, 1996 Johnson died from injuries sustained in a crash at the NHRA U.S. Nationals held at the Indianapolis Raceway Park. Johnson's engine exploded right as he reached the finish line. Debris from the engine cut down the rear tires; the thick rubber from the tires in turn sheared off the rear wing, causing a loss in aerodynamic downforce at the rear of the dragster, which caused Blaine to lose control. His out-of-control race car then slammed into a guardrail apex (an opening in the guardrail that existed for safety vehicles to enter the track), at around 300 m.p.h.. Johnson's car was heavily damaged as a result of the incident. He was sent to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Johnson was the first Top Fuel driver to die on track since Pete Robinson at the 1971 Winternationals, and would remain as such until 2004, when Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell was killed during an event in Madison, Illinois. Johnson's final pass was a track-record run of 4.61 seconds, which remained for two years before Gary Scelzi (who succeeded Blaine Johnson as the driver of Alan Johnson's dragster) would beat it. Johnson was also the Top Fuel national record holder at the time of his death (with a 4.59 second elapsed-time), a record that would stand until 1999 when Larry Dixon would beat it. Blaine had amassed enough points in the first part of the year to finish fifth in the season ending points standings. At the awards ceremony after the end of the season, Top Fuel Champion Kenny Bernstein gave his championship trophy to Blaine's brother Alan. According to Alan, that particular trophy is in "a place of honor" at his home in Santa Maria. The day after his death, on the first day of Eliminations, his opponent Tony Schumacher, performed drag racing's version of a "missing man" formation, idling down the track out of respect to Johnson. During the final round, event winner Cory McClenethan, who was in the lane opposite Johnson during his last ride down the track, stated very clearly, "And I'll tell you something else, when I get up there and get that trophy, it's going to Alan Johnson. Blaine, we love you, buddy." Throughout the rest of the 1996 and deep into the 1997 seasons, the drivers in Top Fuel, and even some in Funny Car, sported stickers on their cars that read "In Memory of Blaine Johnson". Many drivers continued to have black tape across their car numbers in mourning, and 1996 Top Fuel points Champion Kenny Bernstein dedicated the remainder of the season to the memory of Blaine. After Alan Johnson picked Gary Scelzi to replace Blaine, he designed the new Winston No Bull dragster, which carried on the windscreen "In Memory of Blaine Johnson" for the remainder of the car's life. Blaine's brother, and crew chief, Alan Johnson, went on to be the crew chief for all three of Gary Scelzi's championships in Top Fuel, and was the crew chief for eight time Top Fuel Champion Tony Schumacher for five of his eight championships, amassing 8 championships as a crew chief. He was part-owner of two car Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team. He presided over and tuned the team to three championships. The first title being in 2010 with driver Larry Dixon, then in 2011 with driver Del Worsham, and again in 2013 with driver Shawn Langdon. Alan is currently a co-crew chief with John Force Racing, tuning Top Fuel driver Brittany Force to her first ever Championship in 2017. Thus bringing his total to 12 championships. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Blaine Johnson was ranked No. 36. In 1996, the NHRA established the Blaine Johnson Memorial Award, which is awarded annually to the person or group that best exemplifies the qualities of Blaine. The award is a small bronze bust of Blaine atop a wooden base, with a brass plaque etched with the winner's name and the words NHRA Blaine Johnson Memorial Trophy. Since 1997, following the NHRA Finals in Pomona, the Johnson Family has hosted the Blaine Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament in which the race community and the public participate to earn funds for the Blaine Johnson Memorial Foundation. The Foundation was created by Blaine's family to provide funds for scholarships to students in the Automotive Technology Lab at Allan Hancock College that exemplify the drive and determination that Blaine exhibited on the track and in life. The foundation also provides material support to the department such as machines and tooling.
    • Age: Dec. at 34 (1962-1996)
    • Birthplace: Santa Maria, California
  • Darrell Russell

    Darrell Russell

    Darrell J. Russell (September 20, 1968 – June 27, 2004) was an American National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racer. He was the 2001 NHRA Rookie Of The Year. At the time, he was the third driver to win in his Professional class debut. Before becoming a driver in NHRA's Professional class of Top Fuel Dragster, he competed for several years in NHRA's Sportsman (amateur) class of Top Alcohol Dragster, a slower version of Top Fuel. In four seasons of competition driving Joe Amato's NHRA Top Fuel Dragster, he compiled a record of 106 round wins versus 75 losses. He won six events and was runner-up at 11 others, out of 81 events entered.
    • Age: Dec. at 35 (1968-2004)
  • John Lingenfelter
    • Photo:

    John Lingenfelter

    25-Dec-03
    John Earl Lingenfelter (October 6, 1945 in East Freedom, Pennsylvania – December 25, 2003 in Decatur, Indiana) was an NHRA driver, engineer and tuner. Over his career, Lingenfelter won 13 career national event events in Competition Eliminator and was the first driver in the class to break the six-second quarter-mile barrier. He finished second in the Pro Stock Truck standings in 1998, which was the first year of competition for the now defunct class. His Cavalier had an E.T. of 7.08 seconds. He was the founder of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE for short) in Decatur, Indiana. LPE is a shop specializing in the modification of GM vehicles such as the F-Bodies (Camaro, Firebird), B Bodies (Impala SS, Caprice, Roadmaster, Fleetwood), Corvette, CTS-V, GTO, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Escalade, Denali, SSR, Hummer H2, and Sierra. The shop also worked with tuning packages for the Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler. In the press, his tuned vehicles were reported to have as much civility as the stock vehicles upon which they were based in everyday driving. However, these vehicles were brutally fast. Motor Trend tested a Tahoe tuned by Lingenfelter and achieved a 5.1 second 0-60 time as well as a 0.95g lateral acceleration figure. These numbers match the performance figures of the C4 Corvette and GMC Syclones/Typhoons of that era. This Tahoe had its 350in3 V8 bored and stroked to 396in3, making 500 hp and still retaining its 4WD drivetrain. Motor Trend also tested a Lingenfelter built Impala SS that had the same performance numbers as the last generation M5 (0-60 4.7 sec) due to its bored and stroked LT-1 (Displacement rose to 383in3 and horsepower rose to 440)[1]. Another vehicle built by Lingenfelter was also featured in the June 1996 issue of Car and Driver when they built a special C4 Corvette with a 427in3 engine that attained a top speed of 212 mph. Currently, the most powerful vehicle they have in their stable is a 2006 twin-turbo Corvette Z06 with 1,109 rear wheel horsepower worth $288,540. John built the engine for "Big Red", a 1969 Camaro that has achieved speeds in excess of 220 mph. He was critically injured during an NHRA Summit Sports Compact drag racing event at Pomona, California on October 27, 2002. He died Thursday December 25, 2003 at Adams County Memorial Hospital in Decatur, Indiana at age 58.
    • Age: Dec. at 58 (1945-2003)
  • Eric Medlen

    Eric Medlen

    23-Mar-07
    Eric Medlen (August 13, 1973 – March 23, 2007) was an NHRA Fuel Funny Car driver. Medlen drove for John Force Racing in 2004, 2005, and 2006, campaigning in the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang Fuel Funny Car, and in 2007, campaigning in the Auto Club/Pleasant Holiday Ford Mustang Fuel Funny Car. He had a total of 6 career wins. His first win came during his Rookie season in 2004 at Brainerd International Raceway. Medlen was born in Oakdale, CA, the son of John and Mary (Mimi) Medlen and brother of Eryn Medlen. He worked as a mechanic for John Force and past teammate Tony Pedregon for 8 years until Pedregon left to join his brother Cruz's race team. Medlen was moved into Pedregon's Castrol Syntec-sponsored car. In 2004, he was a top contender for the NHRA Road to the Future Funny Car Rookie of the Year. He followed with 3 wins in 2005 and 2 wins in 2006. Each year he raced, he placed in the top five or higher in NHRA Championship Points. Prior to 2004, his fastest elapsed time was 4.681 seconds. His fastest speed was 328.54 MPH. He had 8 #1 qualifiers and a 94-65 win-loss record. Medlen was a champion calf roper in high school and considered a career as a professional team roper with his partner and mentor, World Champion Team Roper Jerold Camarillo. He also loved to build custom motorcycles and paint his race helmets. His father John Medlen was his crew chief.
    • Age: Dec. at 33 (1973-2007)
    • Birthplace: Oakdale, California
  • John Shoemaker

    John Shoemaker

    8-Mar-08
    John Shoemaker (born August 18, 1956 in Chillicothe, OH, USA) is a former minor league baseball player who is currently manager of the Great Lakes Loons. Shoemaker attended Waverly High School and Miami University before he was drafted in the 35th round of the 1977 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shoemaker was also drafted in the 6th round by the Chicago Bulls in the 1978 NBA Draft. He played in the Dodgers minor league system, primarily as a second baseman, from 1977-1980, making it all the way up to AAA before retiring to become a coach after the 1981 season. Has been part of the Dodgers organization since 1977. The Dodgers named him "Captain of Player Development" in 2015 as recognition of his "continual demonstration of superior teammate behavior" according to the Dodgers head of player development, Gabe Kapler. At the end of the 2015 season, he was awarded with the Mike Coolbaugh Award presented by Minor League Baseball to the person "who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field." He was also named to the Southern League Hall of Fame in 2016.
    • Age: 68
  • Lee Shepherd

    Lee Shepherd

    11-Mar-85
    Lee Alan Shepherd (August 30, 1944 – March 11, 1985) was an American drag racing driver from Arlington, Texas. In 1972, Shepherd drove a lime green Chevy Nova station wagon to the Modified finals at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Springnationals, also claiming Modified Eliminator (making the Nova the quickest car at the event). Later in 1972, he teamed with David Reher and Buddy Morrison. The three Texans pooled their limited resources and forged a longstanding partnership after Bobby Cross left the team to pursue his own business ventures. The Reher-Morrison-Shepherd team won NHRA's Division 4 Modified championship in 1973, and took a class win at the 1974 Winternationals in a pumpkin orange Chevrolet-powered F/Gas Ford Maverick. Shepherd ran back-to-back 10.67s to defeat John Smith’s M/Gas Volkswagen and defending event champion Bob Riffle’s C/Gas Dodge Colt. In the quarterfinal, he bested Carl Frizzell’s E/MP Camaro with a 10.66 and former Winternationals winner Fred Teixeira’s B/Gas Corvette with a 10.49. In the final, Shepherd unleashed a pass of 10.39 seconds at 130.62 mph (210.21 km/h), defeating Jim Marshall’s A/MP Dart and good enough to set an F/Gas national record.In 1975, the Texans borrowed a Chevrolet Corvette body, transplanted the Maverick's powertrain, and recorded another Modified victory at the 1975 Springnationals, as well as taking Modified Eliminator, making the Reher-Morrison Corvette the quickest Modified of the event. The team campaigned a Chevrolet Camaro to win four consecutive NHRA national championships from 1981 to 1984.Shepherd would return to win the Winternationals twice in Pro Stock, in 1980 and 1984, while the team won 26 of 56 national events and four championships in that period.In 1983 Shepherd became the first driver to win both the NHRA and IHRA Pro Stock championships in the same year, a feat that had never before been achieved; he did it again in 1984.In March 1985, on his way to a fifth straight Pro Stock championship, Shepherd was killed while testing his car in Ardmore, Oklahoma. At the Gatornationals, the next event on the NHRA calendar, the qualifiers in Pro Stock lined up on the track before the start of eliminations in a missing man formation with the pole position being left open for Lee Shepherd. In 2001, a panel ranked Shepherd twelfth in the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000.Over his career, Shepherd won at every NHRA national event, recording a record of 173 wins to 47 losses, including reaching the final round in 44 national events, winning 26 times. He is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
    • Age: Dec. at 40 (1944-1985)
  • Michelle "Shelly" Howard
    • Photo:

    Michelle "Shelly" Howard

    2-Apr-05
  • Wayne Bailey
    • Photo:

    Wayne Bailey

    Oct-00
    • Age: 70
  • Scott Kalitta

    Scott Kalitta

    21-Jun-08
    Scott D. Kalitta (February 18, 1962 – June 21, 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He was killed at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, after an accident during qualifying. He had 17 career Top Fuel wins and one career Funny Car win, and at his death he was one of 14 drivers to win in both divisions.Kalitta was son of veteran NHRA driver and crew chief Connie Kalitta, and cousin of teammate Doug Kalitta.
    • Age: Dec. at 46 (1962-2008)
    • Birthplace: Mount Clemens, Michigan
  • Carrie Jo Neal

    Carrie Jo Neal

  • John Hagen

    John Hagen

  • Walter Henry
    • Photo:

    Walter Henry