Rich...you couldn't be more accurate!

I'm just amazed that everyone involved (City, Police, AMS, etc.) thought this was an appropriate thing to do on a public street...

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Mopar to ya'!
Johnny Mopar

I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but I will post this press release from the team. I will post my response from another forum to the release.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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Jackee Allen-ProStockJunkie
"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

My thoughts may offend some, but I'm going to share them anyway......

"Exhibition burnouts" do not belong on public streets or anywhere except on a dragstrip where there are barriers between the cars and spectators. To refer not once, but 3 times to the Selmer Police doing this or that, is a veiled attempt to displace responsiblitity in my opinion. "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" is yet another attempt at deflecting the personal accountablity for this accident, in my opinion.

Here's the facts;

1. a professional drag racing driver & crew know the power of his/her automobile
2. a professional drag racing driver & crew know that anything can happen at high speeds
3. a professional drag racing driver & crew know the destruction an out of control vehicle can cause
4 a police chief,police department, city officials, event coordinators do not necessarily comprehend the above realities.

Until this tragedy, I had never even heard of 'exhibition burnouts' being done anywhere but on a drag strip. Any professional drag racing driver and his/her crew should not even think about participating in such an event because of the potential harm and devastation that can take place if/when something goes wrong.

In my opinion an 'exhibition burnout' is just another name for street racing, except that it is sanctioned by the town, police, event coordinators and the public.

There is enough 'error in judgement' blame to go around in this tragedy, on the part of everyone involved in it. For those people and groups that would like to put an end to drag racing, period, this error in judgement is likely to have far reaching consequences.

For those who may be thinking, "sure Jackee, hindsight is always 20/20', I will say that if I had ever heard of 'exhibition burnouts', in close proximity to the general public, I can assure you that I would be saying the very same thing before a tragedy took place. There is one place, and one place only for drag racing and that is on a drag strip. Events that wish to feature drag racing vehicles should limit their use to a display, and maybe even being started up, to display the sound of raw horsepower. However, even that poses the potential for risk.

My heart goes out to the victims, family and friends of all of those touched by this horrible event, including the driver and crew and event coordinators. It will certainly remain with them forever. And for those who will not make the distinction, it will forever be a 'drag racing' issue. That means that every single one of us continue to reap what was sown on that day.

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Jackee Allen-ProStockJunkie
"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

Jackee...you are absolutely correct in every point you made. I can't believe anyone ever thought this was a good idea...

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Mopar to ya'!
Johnny Mopar

Jackee,

All your points were valid and I agree with everything stated. There is no place for something like "exhibition burnouts" other than a sanctioned drag strip with proper barriers. Again, everyone involved, from Troy Critchley to the police and event organizers, should have had more sense than to put something like this portion of the event on. I don't know much about all the other things that preceded the exhibition burnout(s) but I'm sure they probably weren't as life threatening as this was. One additional thing I don't like stated is calling this a city street as based on what I saw, I would bet you this was a highway or county road that had lots of open space around it and an apparent need for guard rails or barriers on at least a portion of the road, unless they were constructed and installed just for this event. My heart goes out to all the families involved and YES to Troy as well, but extreme errors in judgement were made here, as always in horrible accidents. I agree that this is probably going to be another black mark for REAL drag racing and drag racers from here on.

Be careful what you ask for guys... This is a tragic event but in the wrong hands things may go farther than you think.
1. All racing engines may never be started outside of a race track.
2. To display a race car will require a permit.
3. To own a race car will require a special permit.
4. on and on and on

I don't know who remembers when JFK jr crashed his plane into the ocean but mayor Rudy stated that "all small planes should be banned from flying at night and around NYC at all." And this was Pilot error.

All I am saying is "it is a tragic event and the people affectted will NEVER get over it." but, be careful what you willing to give up because of it......

Sure Jackee, you never heard of 'exhibition burnouts' being done anywhere but on a drag strip, sure Jackee............................go ahead and tell me you were under a rock when this went down!

You were a Mater last May, why weren't you preaching to everyone then?

YouTube - JEG's Week Burnout

You made some extremely good points above, but come down off of your soapbox!

Jackee... Not pointing out our ages, but I'm sure you remember the Broadway Freddie F/C burnout at Coney Island, back in the days when you (and I, for that matter) were running up and down the East Coast...

ADD: Lance- They really threw NHRA under the bus on that video just by the association on-camera, didn't they!!!

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"Run what u brung, and hope u brought enough...."
http://www.myspace.com/relentlesslightingdesign

I read on AMSpromods.com that Troy is done with NHRA racing in '07! I wonder if the AMS team will still compete in the AMS Pro mod series???

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Shift for Brains!!!!

Not with Troy's car but Josh will.

Josh has the Camaro, who's going to drive the Cuda?

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Shift for Brains!!!!

I doubt anyone

Hmmm Jackee...
Did you post this after Clay did his burnout in Memphis, or Jeg did his in Columbus? Yes, correct, there were no deaths at this event.....but the possiblility was there.....After all...

1. a professional drag racing driver & crew know the power of his/her automobile
2. a professional drag racing driver & crew know that anything can happen at high speeds
3. a professional drag racing driver & crew know the destruction an out of control vehicle can cause
4 a police chief,police department, city officials, event coordinators do not necessarily comprehend the above realities.

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Proud card-carrying member: ACWC (American Conservative White Christians)

Ummmm Don..... as I stated a few times in my response to the press release, I had not even heard of an 'exhibition burnout' other then at a drag strip. So, the simple answer to your question is..... No. If I had heard about anyone else doing this, you can rest assured I would have posted the same information as above.

What is your point? My issue with this dangerous and potentially deadly 'exhibition' remains the same regardless of who is performing it or the consequences of doing it.

And to quote you, "the possibility was there".

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Jackee Allen-ProStockJunkie
"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

Once again Jackee...your points are all accurate and correct. For someone to question your post suggests a defense of what happened to create that tragedy.

Here's my prediction; the only people who will attempt to defend the planning of this event are the very few die-hard Pro Mod fans out there. Everyone involved in this event...AMS, Troy, the team owner, the City, the Police will all be charged in some manner and every one of them will be named in the enormous law suits that will be filed. Once Justice has been served, Pro Mods as we've known them will be relegated to back woods tracks with no organization backing them...they'll all be broke from the lawsuit settlements.

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Mopar to ya'!
Johnny Mopar