Not good. NOT GOOD AT ALL! 4 people dead.

How can you not criticize the DUMBASS driver and promoter? Did you ever see a vehicle like that without a kill switch? Both should be prosecuted for vehicular homicide.

 

I didn't say to defend Troy but a little compassion for all parties involved is better than calling him a jack ass.

 

Troy is a nice guy, good thru and thru, but for about 30 seconds he was a JACKASS!!! That 30 seconds has caused a lifetime of grief for a lot of people. Himself included.

 

My Heart broke when I saw the news.

Does anyone know the driver and how we can send a card to him. He is
going to need a lot of prayer. My heart breaks everytime when I hear the
news. I hit a dog last year and I still have the memory when I drive down
the street. I can't imagine what the driver is going through......I've
been praying off and on since I've heard the news.

Thanks in advance If anyone can pm me the information.

God Bless,

Mick

 

It is a tragady. No doubt. But the driver was giving the crowd just what they came to see. Big smokey burnouts. Yes it is easy to see from here that it was a bad idea, but one instant before the incedent everybody there was loving it. Don't go on a witch hunt looking to lay all the blame on the driver

 

Tingler......my father-in-law has property AND family in Selmer (I've thought of moving there).......a relative of his was injured.....broken leg....a young girl.
Another friend was injured as well, foot smashed.
It was quite the shock when we were watching the news here and saw it. My wife called her parents to find out about her dad's family......bad deal man....

 

I agree, no one really knows why it really happened yet. Stuck throttle maybe?

I was at the Moon Eyes car show in LA a few years back and saw a guy pull out of the show and thought it would be cool to lay on the gas for the crowd and it got stuck, he lost control and he rammed into a parked car on the side of the show He was very fortunate that he only ran into the modern car that was parked between two expensive rare lookin hotrods ...it could have been a bad situation if people were standing nearby as well.

Bummer about the tragedy and i feel for the familes who lost lives that day, my prayers go out to them.

Remember ...tomorrow is not promised!

 

I think its sad that so many people on the HAMB are saying so many hurtful
things about the driver.

Have you guys ever done something wrong or made a mistake?? Maybe done something that some would consider stupid??

Yes accidents happen and this is a real bad one. We should spend our time mourning the loss and not blast anyone involved.

Guys, this is not the time...

Again if anyone can PM me Troy's address I would appreciate it.........


Mick

 

The Road Rockets show in Indy is nearing again, and lots of red flags went up for me last year. A dude with a 1950 ford 2 sedan set-up as a gasser (and other cars) decided to do a burnout back from the entrance to hotel. People all standing around. It takes just a second to go wrong.

The exhibition pass that happened over the weekend in Tenn. should have never happened period.

In a related situation

I shot this email off to the President Of Goodguys the morning after the Indy GG event....I still haven’t got a reply...........

Mr Meadows
I was wondering what your policy is related to usage of private golf carts, mini choppers, bicycles and driving down the vendors rows etc.
Ive been going to Indy Goodguys (since the first one) and 40 years worth of dragstrips, and car shows in California and Ive never seen such a potential problem for spectator safety as this past weekend.

Way, way to many golf carts and mini choppers driving around to fast in areas where they shouldn't be. Alot of near misses, I was constantly looking over my shoulder and grabbing my kids to get out of the traffic going threw vendor row and others areas.

What’s funny is Goodguys has a cut off date for letting cars in, but you can drive a new gold cart around?

Here is another, Why in hell would your event staff let a 23 T Bucket with a Blown Big Block Chevy / 2 Nitrous bottles hanging off wheelie bars, 21.5 Mickey Thompsons drive down vendors row. Talk about a recipe for disaster. This and other cars were just driving back and forth, there is no need for this where alot of people are walking and trying to purchase Hot Rod goods.

Im 40 years old and seen about everything, but this way to much this past weekend.

Please review you safety rules on this topic

Thank You For Your Time
George Creekbaum

I had a hard time sleeping last night after seeing the video footage on the TV out of Tenn. I still cant understand how could something like this happen, I mean how many red flags popping up? Sorry, but I just dont have alot sympathy for Troy.

 

A similar accident recently happened near my house. A guy was doing an exhibition run at the local airstrip's annual ribs burnoff. Luckily though no one was killed BUT nine were injured.
Here is the article..
http://cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=9&ID=358268&r=18&subCategoryID=

The driver of that funny car must feel terrible and will feel terrible for the rest of his life. He was doing what he was told to do and probably had done thousands of times. I guess it just goes to show once again that it only takes a second to ruin a life, or in this case lives.
The driver and the families of those who passed will be in my thoughts today.

 

o.k....
after finally seeing the video, and getting the correct information, I will now comment: #1. I DO feel sorry for everyone involved, EVERYONE...because THAT was never anyones intention...HOWEVER...
#2. WTF???!!! The car had NO business doing that on a city street...I first thought maybe we were talking about a still burn out, perhaps with a line lock, or whatever space age-nasa shit they use in a pro-mod...but...that...THAT looked like a F-in pass! people were standing, not just behind the pitiful railing, but...IN THE DAMN ROAD, also? What the hell was going on? you can't even do the at the track!!!! and they have people working on the surface, all damn day, to keep it safe! track bite, driers...whatever...I have seen guys storm the hell off, because of track conditions, and KNOWING that their car won't hook, and not runnin...A PRO-MOD on a regular road surface!? thats bright...I guess the roads are thought to be a hell of alot smoother...and cleaner...oh, yeah, and stickier! In Selmer...and I LOVE burnouts...even competitions, but this was poorly thought out...
I couldn't hook and control my Galaxie, on regular pavement w/ slicks! I absolutely feel bad for everyone involved, on account of NO ONE set out to kill anyone, but seriuosly...WTF!!!???
The people getting close to that kinda noise, smoke, and speed HAD to at least think "wow...that thing is f-in CRAZY!" at that moment of excitement, of thrill...you DO personally acnowledge danger, whether real, or perceived, but, there would be no thrill at all, if you were not at least a little scared, and in touch with the danger. The thing is...they were in a crowd, at a sanctioned event...with everyone else...of course you assume that the planners know what they are doing...don't assume anything! again, it is unfortunate for everyone, but, still...if it was one of your family members...would you walk away saying "ahhh, shit happens" ?

 

I feel so sad for the families of the victims, as well as the driver, spectators, everyone involved.


IT SHOULDN'T HAVE EVER HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!


Never take a RACE CAR OUT ON THE STREET!!!!!!!!!!



It was on the west coast 10 PM news last night



In the video,it sounds like he lifted near the end, as he was losing it, maybe he shut the fuel off, I don't know, I wasn't there.

I hope this teaches at least ONE of the younger,dumber,full of c.....
kids to NOT do burnouts in a crowd.

 

I am speechless...........

My heart goes out to all involved....sad, very sad day

 

It amazes me that the owner of the promod (2000 plus horses) would even consider something like that. I mean, you almost have to KNOW that something like that would happen. They don't go straight down a propely prepared race track, let alone some bullshit highway. It was a senseless act of stupidity. I feel bad for everyone, but it was SO avoidable, all it would take is common sense.

 

http://www.promodsource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7253

RIP all of those who lost their lives. I am pretty dissapointed in the driver, the promoter and those who let people line up in "front" of a Pro-Mod.

This is not a case of Hot Rodders, disliking other Hot Rodders - its a case where one man, took the lives of many people in his hands and had a terrrible outcome.

Why did he even need to do such a big burnout? Link above talks about how he could just do the burnout and pull over, because what I would presume - it is basically the best part of the run. Why didn't they limit the throttle? These guys are PROFESSIONALS, with miles of drive time on Pro-Mod cars. Surely they would understand that there would be zero traction there and no guardrail. Even with a guard rail, they still needed to keep the crowd back 50 feet or better.

Stupid is what killed those kids.

 

No, what I'm talking about is that now we've tacked on another letsay 10,000 views to that story. 10,000 to 20,000 is quite a leap, you get my idea.

And no, I'm not a Shit Rod enthusiast, and I drive like an old man. Yeah, quite a few people died because someone definetly had their car in the wrong place.

My post was simply saying, I don't see how they can make the connection between an drag car, meant only for the track, that lost control, and a street driven car. Their is quite a big difference in power, and purpose there.

And having seen (three right in front of my house, one the guy was ejected from the truck, it rolled over him, etc.) a couple of wrecks in my lifetime, and having almost wrecked on a couple occasions myself, I get the idea.

So I was never saying we should all start doing burnouts in rusty death traps without floors, birdshit welds, and no front brakes in crowds of people.

Didn't mean to offend anybody, but we don't need to need ammunition to getting hot rodding outlawed, period.

 

Well, it's certainly a sad event and I have prayed for all of the people involved. Hopefully a lesson has been learned.
As I have checked back in on this thread throughout the day today, one thought continues to come back to me. That thought is of the recent and past posts that seem to come up every couple of months here about street racing. Now don't misunderstand me here, I understand that a ProMod on a city street lined with people is different than 2 guys squaring off on a country road or racing to stoplights late at night. BUT...both are dangerous and wrong and simply inviting disaster. What is the difference between the two? If someone were killed by a street racer while walking to the supermarket on the sidewalk, we would all be outraged, yet there are some who will always argue that since street racing is 'traditional' that it's ok. This line has been bouncing around in my head for a day now and I think that I finally figured out why. Here it is: "Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you SHOULD".

I'll keep praying for those lost, injured and just plain involved.
Scott

 

Unfortunately this incident will add ANOTHER BLACK MARK to "racing" - what ever kind it is - and the press isn't about to let go of how "stupid" this whole incident was.

We here on the HAMB KNOW BETTER; but the temptation to do a little burnout is always in the back of our minds. After all, why the big "honkin" engines??

This incident will be long remembered; especially by those who lost someone.
And my heart goes out to them.

Please everyone; DRIVE SAFE!

 

Thanks for making yourself more clear. I see what you are saying.

I don't thing WE are drawing unwanted attention to the situation.

I believe the spotlight was focussed when that car hit those kids.




Also, for the driver's sake, I hope the throttle stuck.

(.....and who rated this thread???? Its like rating a train wreck. DANG. This thread doesn't deserve a rating)

 

I'm so sorry to hear about all of this. What else can be said.

At 34...I'm starting to wonder why the fun has been seeping out of this hobby though. I've had some awesome cars & met some awesome people.....and I've done plenty of stupid shit myself.

And I'm not saying burnouts should be banned nor to run out and do them. But I'm not going to be a biggot personally. This whole deal is sad. I pray for the family involved. I feel for the driver.

But, most of the post in this thread are just a bummer in general. Relating this to driving / drinking. How the driver should be jailed, how anyone who ever did a burn out is a dumbass. Sad guys. Just like the 'don't let the kids even think about breathing on my car' post.

Somewhere along the way.....something fell apart. Car shows, events, charitys. All is fun and well until something bad happens & then the Fingers start pointing.

Maybe that's just it, I've always loved the cars.....it's most of the owners & owners attitudes that is getting old.

This whole ordeal is sad, but in no way....should all the blame in its entirety, be placed on the driver alone.

I've done burnout before, granted not like that one, but jeesh.....the burnout has been just as much a part of this hobby as the shiny paint. Carl Hagan

 

Here's my final though and hopefully this closes arguments about all of this..If the car is built specifically for track use only,then keep it on the track and no where else..No one was at fault except the organizers who didn't put very much thought into this and the PR reps that told the driver that it would be okay and it would be good for team publicity...I do burn out,but only because my tires don't hooki when I try to get my boat moving..I don't do passes like that,and I do not let off the brakes for shit when the wheels are spinning...I also won't do them with people in front of or behind my vehicle and only when there are proper barricades and safety personnel...Let's let this thing rest,all this bitching and yelling and anger won't do anything to make anyone feel better or bring those people back that were lo9st in this tragic event..The fines and penalties will be severe,and all we can do is make sure our local evenst have nothing like this happen by talking to the promoters that do our events..If we weren't at that exhibition,then there is nothing we could have done..Truth is,most car malfunction some sort of way everyday,and something similar could have happened anywhere at anytime,in any kind of vehicle..

 

There are some people who you can ask umpteen times, before and during an event to not do a burnout but invariably they will. I'm not saying this happened this time but this whole thing was avoidable, it should never have happened.

 

I was once asked to build something that I thought was a lousy design. The architect, contractor and homeowner all said "just do it" and showed me a technical bulletin that said it was OK. Well I did it and it failed. I got taken to court and lost. Why? The judge said that as a professional I was obliged to refuse to do what I new to be wrong. The fact is that many people were smart enough to know that this whole format was an accident waiting to happen, yet they sat on their hands. Most guilty was the driver, but the promoter and other drag-racing "experts" share some blame for not raising a stink.

 

This is the sole responsibility of the driver.
Having worked on and built COUNTLESS Pro Mods, I can assure you of a few things...

#1- that wasn't a full power pass. and no, the throttle didn't stick. when these cars leave, they SCREAM. I would guess that he was at less than 50% throttle, and the tires had LOTS more air in them than they do at the track...hence making them mucho slippery.

#2- Pro Mods are still an "outlaw" class..meaning they are built for heads up, run what you brung racing. 2800 H.P. is about the norm, and you are typically dealing with anywhere from mid 550's to 700 cubes. it is purely up to the engine builder, if it is a blower, nitrous, or alky motor. And in Tennessee, they are FAST.

#3- Pro Mods can use "slew rate" technology- it's like super duty traction control...meaning you can launch the car in a bucket of marbles.


what the hell is my point?
The Driver knows everything from how fast it can go to how responsive the car is to certian conditions. chassis, clutch, and tune up can drastically alter those numbers...a half a degree of pinion angle could be the difference between your fastest pass to date, and not even getting off the line. so, he CHOSE to...

Show off on an unprepped surface with questionable grip from the tires.
attempt a show stopping burnout in a crowded area....with 0 idea of how the car would behave.

shift into second. Why?

and even with the great "reaction time debate" Race car drivers are supposed to be pretty quick thinkers. that's why we watch them race, rather than racing ourselves.

what it boils down to me is this, the driver took ALOT of unneccecary risks for show, and suffered dire consequence. you CANNOT rely on race car to behave on a city street. it's this simple...you've got about 5 square inches of tire contact in the front, and about 36 in the rear...throw in a couple thousand horsepower, and guess which end of the car does the drivin? especially when you run over the puddle of Dr.Pepper in the middle of the street which compresses out enough to wet down a large amount of tire?

it was criminally stupid.

 

Since when do "parades" get classified as a "motorsport event"? Flying cars and/or parts are not an accepted risk at a goddam charity parade. I cannot believe you'd actually associate the two and assume the risk factors for one should be applied to the other--just because high-performance vehicles were involved. That's completely assinine. This situation is one that could have been avoided, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. As it's already been said, just because there was no intent doesn't mean there's no blame.

 

I'd like to think we all get wiser as we get older. Sometimes folks learn lessons on their own, sometimes folks learn lessons from others. My hope is that every single person who viewed this thread, read about this in a newspaper or saw the coverage on TV, or by any other means, stops and thinks before continuing with a stupid act, any stupid act.

I too am guilty of doing a few burnouts in my day. A few of them I was chained down, a few on isolated roads yet there is one that has bothered me all day today and I've been getting a tear in my eye everytime I think about the damage/hurt I could have caused to a fellow HAMBer or their car.

The massive burnout I did in the Ramada hotel parking lot a couple of years ago during the HAMB Drags weekend was stupid, very stupid and I put myself, Big Olds, Beatnick sitting in his roadster directly behind me and all the HAMBers sitting and standing watching in great danger and I just wanted to take a minute to say I'm so sorry for not thinking of the consequences before I did it.

I never really thought much about it till now. I've seen my fair share of burnouts at shows and events and have never seen anyone get hurt BUT as we all know now, it only takes one time for something to go terribley wrong.

We just ALL need to learn from this tragic incident....PLEASE take note and THINK before you do something stupid.

Again, I appoligize to my fellow HAMBers who I put in danger and I promise it won't happen again. My burnout days are over except on the track at MoKan.

 

I'm glad Lux chimed in. He really swayed the arguement for me. I really didn't want to blame anyone... now I know where the blame lies...

I searched Google and came up with the drivers site and the statement... their side of the story

http://www.troycritchley.com/

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SELMER, Tenn. (June 18, 2007) "The entire AMS Racing Team is in deep mourning over the losses and pain suffered this weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and their families during this difficult time. We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic accident, which is compounded by the fact that it occurred during a charitable event designed to raise money for disabled children. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the individuals that were injured or perished in the accident," team spokesman William Reid said Monday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The team was asked to attend a charity event in Selmer, Tenn. to help raise money for the Cars For Kids charity and was told the organization had staged a charity car show for the past 18 years in which the drivers performed burnouts. The team sent its racing team to the event to display two racing cars -- a '93 Corvette and a '57 Chevy - and planned to have each vehicle perform an exhibition burnout.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A burnout is a demonstration in which the driver spins the tires to create smoke and noise to demonstrate the ability of the car. The driver involved in the accident, Troy Critchley, is an experienced professional driver who had performed more than a 1,000 exhibition burnouts without incident prior to Saturday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The team arrived in Selmer on Friday June 15, 2007. On Saturday the team displayed two cars for the public to view, and, after displaying the cars, the crew was instructed to line up with other cars participating in the event. After the parade was completed, Selmer Police Officers blocked off the highway for the cars to perform the burnouts. The team understands that the Selmer Police Chief, Neal Burks, was present and in charge of crowd placement and blocking off the street.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The drivers understood that the roadway had been inspected and approved for the burnout exhibition. Before Mr. Critchley began the exhibition, two Selmer police cars traveled down the left and right of the roadway and instructed the crowd to move back. Mr. Critchley was signaled to start and he began to perform the burnout. After a straight start, the car skidded off the road. Mr. Critchley did everything humanly possible to keep the car on the road, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mr. Critchley was taken to the Emergency Room and treated for injuries he sustained in the accident. He voluntarily submitted blood for testing to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and it was confirmed he had no alcohol or drugs in his system. The entire crew remained in Selmer on Sunday, June 17 to cooperate and provide information to Tennessee State authorities investigating the accident.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The team has agreed for the involved car to remain in the possession of the Tennessee Highway Patrol for examination. Mr. Critchley was not arrested nor has he been given any indication he will be charged with a criminal offense. The team is cooperating with the State of Tennessee and is currently investigating a number of factors that may have contributed to the accident including crowd control, safety precautions and the preparation and condition of the roadway. [/FONT]

 

Sure..."A straight start"....consisting of about 200 feet plus where he was on the "stupid pedal".

I do think that the promoter, police, & city officials bear 30% of the blame for allowing it to take place at all....but they weren't in the car. There was no stuck throttle or broken line-loc's....he stayed in it for way too long AND SHIFTED MANUALLY...almost as if he was doing a nice, long, crowd pleasing burnout at the race track. I've watched this video fifteen times or more...as Lux says...no stuck throttle. It doesn't appear as if the loc's were activated at all, either. Harder to say on that one.

Some interesting spin control taking place with promoter vs. driver; driver vs. promoter & police; police not saying much about blame; & so on.

 

It reads

The crash happened Saturday during an "exhibition burnout" — when a drag racer spins his tires to make them heat up and smoke — at the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer, located about 80 miles east of Memphis.

Well, that was pretty stupid. What may be an 800 HP car doing exhibition burnouts in the street?

 

So you've never had a tire blow or a brake problem or some kind of problem on a car??Mechanical failure,even minor,is still a mechanical failure and could lead to something else major..

There it is...But I still say the promoters and police should know better than to let someone put a drag built car on a highway with people that close..