Do you remember the chick top fuel dragster racer that died at sears point back when? My brother was at that race.
Carrie Neal
Drag Strip: Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, California
Event: NHRA Autolite Nationals
Accident Date: July 25, 1997
Car: T/AD Federal-Mogul dragster
Biographical: In a bizarre accident, Neal's car shot forward at the end of performing her burnout, reaching a speed of 200 MPH when she crashed. Some thought it might have been caused by a stuck throttle, but others weren't convinced. What is puzzling is why she didn't hit the kill switch, flip the fuel shut-off switch, or deploy the parachute. Although she was a beginner in the sport, she was well prepared. No consensus or satisfactory explanation for the cause of the crash was reached although NHRA claimed it was a stuck throttle. She lived in Poway, California, and was a computer software tester.
Sources
"Neal's fatal accident difficult to explain," Copley News Service, August 4, 1997
"Stuck throttle may or may not explain Neal's fatal accident,"
San Diego Union-Tribune, July 31, 1997
"Woman killed in California drag race,"
San Jose Mercury News, July 26, 1997
"Death at the track: 1997-2000,"
Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001
Motorsport Memorial website (
http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=2497)