Big Top End Crash between John Force and Jonnie Lindberg (1 Viewer)

[cknight]

Note that the Safety Safari crew directed Jonnie away from Force's car, not that Jonnie didn't want to check on Force. That's also seen on the video. Chase

 

[TR]

Nobody was at fault.

Exactly!

Rick

 

[mick]

those photo sequences are phenomenal. watch the initial explosion, and similar ones recently; the engine is still there, but the concussion from the shear size (read energy)
of the explosion shatters the body. wasn't too long ago the body's only sliced in half, aka convertible. not they just disintegrate. no more top end viewing for me.
......here. you just sit here and wear this protective suit. you've got some safety metal to protect from bomb parts, but you can see over the metal so you can see
the bomb going off RITE IN FRONT OF YOU!.....oh, and you'll be going 300mph when this happens. don't worry, that's a really good helmet you're wearing
......obviously the safety equipment must be keeping pace with the size of the explosions (said sarcastically)

 

[vegasnitro]

no more top end viewing for me.

Got me to thinking ... I have been hit by parts 4 times. 3 of the 4 have been since they shortened the track to 1,000ft. 3 of the 4 have been at the top end. 2 of the times I was sitting in the stands, and 2 of the times I was standing along the fence. Twice at Vegas, once at Pomona and once at Indy. All 4 times I was on the pit side of the track. Twice it was top fuel and twice it was funny car. Luckily, I was not hurt nor was anyone around me.

 

[Cliff]

I was at the late OCIR once, standing by the fence at the top end (pit side). A dragster made a pass, and I heard THUNK. The rods came out & hit the ambulance which was parked next to me. No one hurt, but the radiator severely wounded. Saw the infamous incident, again OCIR, where Larry Bowers pitched out the clutch & bellhousing, etc about 3/4 of the way down. All that went over the finish line stands & into the pits. Miracle, no one hit. Saw a T/F car at Firebird, spit out a spark plug. Watched the plug go over the stands I was in (spectator side). Told the crew guy about it later on & he said "Oh yeah?". Oh, AA/FA show at Speedworld in Phoenix, late 80's, and engine "woofed the blower" right in front of us, starting line. What blower bag? Still have a piece of that blower. No one hurt this time.

 

[Leebone]

I saw the Facebook interview with Force. I was a bit amused that he couldn't pronounce Lindberg's name correctly. Kept calling him "Lundberg."

 

[Gordon]

A little late to the party because I was slow in getting my e-mail account verified (Thanks, Shannon!), but I would like to echo what many have said already - Anyone sitting at their computer who even hints that their anxiety/frustration/anger/fear wouldn't spike had they been in Lindberg's situation either isn't thinking coherently, or they're not human. I've never done it, but I have to believe that even on a clean, uneventful pass one gets pretty amped up. But to make an elimination run and have an explosion in the other lane take you out and causing you to lose complete control of your car while at one point your looking up at the bottom end of a fuel funny car has to get the heart rate spiking at ultra high levels... and that's before you take into account the fact that there are no spares in your owner's shop, so you suddenly don't know how you're going to get back out there. Yeah, I'm more than willing to give Lindberg a pass on this one.

I'm just glad everyone is alright - it may cost money, but the cars and all the associated parts can be repaired/replaced. Human life? Not so much.

 

[Pete]

At the ‘93 IHRA Epping national event, Kenny Koretsky blew up in the lights. The woman standing in front of me fell backwards, knocking a few of us down. We all got up and she had a connecting rod sticking out of her chest....that was then, this is now.

 

[PiPPi]

"I just picked up our chassis from John Force Racing! Thanks to the fab shop guys for working overtime welding a new front half on in just a couple of days! Now I’m Ohio bound to meet up with the crew and get everything ready for Gainesville!"

https://www.facebook.com/JonnieLind...4262698072876/982251671940641/?type=3&theater

 

[Dave]

At the ‘93 IHRA Epping national event, Kenny Koretsky blew up in the lights. The woman standing in front of me fell backwards, knocking a few of us down. We all got up and she had a connecting rod sticking out of her chest....that was then, this is now.

I remember that explosion but had no idea about the woman! Was she okay?

 

[TR]

"I just picked up our chassis fromJohn Force Racing! Thanks to the fab shop guys for working overtime welding a new front half on in just a couple of days! Now I’m Ohio bound to meet up with the crew and get everything ready for Gainesville!"

https://www.facebook.com/JonnieLind...4262698072876/982251671940641/?type=3&theater

Impressive!!

Rick

 

[DG]

I believe that John said that there were problems with the threads in the block and not a fastener problem.

 

[Pete]

I remember that explosion but had no idea about the woman! Was she okay?

Quite a few years later I ran into her husband...she survived and returned to the track to spectate at some point.