What's new
By:
Filters

Last Funny Car Fatality - Gerry Schwartz (1 Viewer)

nitrobobby

nitrobobby

Nitro Member
Last nhra Funny Car Fatality - Gerry Schwartz

from the phr magazine 9/69 -the following details as follows-pat foster m/t mustang and the "ratty cat " cougar were the 1st pair on sun . foster lost control and crossed in front of schwartz still running full throttle. both cars totally destroyed . gerry died instantly. quoting the article-"was one of the brutally spectacular crashes in drag racing history" . 1969 was not a good year - at the us nationals john "zookeeper" mulligan lost his life driving his top fuel dragster.
 
Last edited:
Actually it was Doger Glenn in a nitro car. Al Depazzio (sp?) eventually died in the 1990's as a result of a crash in an alcohol funny car. But given how fast these cars go the safety record until now has been better than one would ever excpect. Dragsters are another story.
 
Registered member said:
Actually it was Doger Glenn in a nitro car. Al Depazzio (sp?) eventually died in the 1990's as a result of a crash in an alcohol funny car. But given how fast these cars go the safety record until now has been better than one would ever excpect. Dragsters are another story.
Click to expand...

Rich Al Dapozzo(sp?) was severely Burned at a div. 3 race in Bowling Green. around 93-94? Not sure if he crashed per say.
 
my post was a follow -up of the nitromater article 3/28 of jfr not racing in houston . that is the source of futher reseach
 
I think they are referring to a NHRA national event, IIRC Dodger was at a match race? Help us out East coasters.
Al had a huge fire for an Alcohol car, still remember the good times we had together.
 
We all know that racing involves a degree of danger and risk. While it's always gutwrenching and tragic when a driver is injured or killed, I think the NHRA safety record is actually remarkedly good when compared to other forms of racing. For instance, since the mid-80's I believe there have been four deaths in the NHRA pro ranks (Lee Shepard, Blaine Johnson, Darrell Russell, Eric Medlen). By way of contrast, during this same period of time there have been at least ten deaths in the NASCAR pro ranks (6 in the Cup Series, 2 in the Busch Series, 2 in the Truck Series). Making comparisons between the sportsman ranks in NASCAR and the NHRA is more difficult simply because the data is harder find. Even so, I suspect that the record is similar and would favor drag racing just as one finds in the pro ranks. I am not trying to imply, much less actually say, that stock car racing is by nature more dangerous than drag racing, or that NASCAR is somehow lax when it comes to safety issues. Rather, what I am trying to say is that drag racing drivers and fans can and should be proud of the NHRA safety record even during during those times when the sport we love experiences a tragic loss.
 
NHRA was still running the fuel cars at the points meets during this period. And the Grove is a division 1 track.

Late..............Mitch
 
Re: Last nhra Funny Car Fatality - Gerry Schwartz

Registered member said:
at the us nationals john "zookeeper" mulligan lost his life driving his top fuel dragster.
Click to expand...

Wasn't Mulligan's death due to burns not a crash? My father-in-law owned the Fighting Irish car back in the mid 70's for a while. He was good friends with Jungle Jim growing up and Jim talked him into buying the car. He loves to talk about Jim and that car.
 
Registered member said:
We all know that racing involves a degree of danger and risk. While it's always gutwrenching and tragic when a driver is injured or killed, I think the NHRA safety record is actually remarkedly good when compared to other forms of racing. For instance, since the mid-80's I believe there have been four deaths in the NHRA pro ranks (Lee Shepard, Blaine Johnson, Darrell Russell, Eric Medlen). By way of contrast, during this same period of time there have been at least ten deaths in the NASCAR pro ranks (6 in the Cup Series, 2 in the Busch Series, 2 in the Truck Series). Making comparisons between the sportsman ranks in NASCAR and the NHRA is more difficult simply because the data is harder find. Even so, I suspect that the record is similar and would favor drag racing just as one finds in the pro ranks. I am not trying to imply, much less actually say, that stock car racing is by nature more dangerous than drag racing, or that NASCAR is somehow lax when it comes to safety issues. Rather, what I am trying to say is that drag racing drivers and fans can and should be proud of the NHRA safety record even during during those times when the sport we love experiences a tragic loss.
Click to expand...

The numbers are not that easy. You have to remember there are at least twice as many drivers in nascar and they race a lot more often. ;)
 
There is a discussion over on the classicfunnycar boards. Seems there were at least four after Schwartz.

Jay
 
Re: Last nhra Funny Car Fatality - Gerry Schwartz

Registered member said:
Wasn't Mulligan's death due to burns not a crash? My father-in-law owned the Fighting Irish car back in the mid 70's for a while. He was good friends with Jungle Jim growing up and Jim talked him into buying the car. He loves to talk about Jim and that car.
Click to expand...

Johnny did die from the burns, but he did crash and was thrown from the car after his safety belts had burned through. I remember seeing it on Wide World of Sports...the crash after the fire was horrible. As most here know, he was my hero and he always will be. My avatar is Johnny from early 69...the year he died. I cried for hours when I had learned he had died. I knew of the crash immediately after it happened from a buddy who's Dad had taken him to the Nationals, but I didn't know he had died until the Wide World of Sports aired the Nationals in either late October or November.
Some people whine about TV coverage nowadays...let me tell you it was pretty much non exisitant back then...any kind of racing. bOb
 
Re: Last nhra Funny Car Fatality - Gerry Schwartz

Registered member said:
Johnny did die from the burns, but he did crash and was thrown from the car after his safety belts had burned through. I remember seeing it on Wide World of Sports...the crash after the fire was horrible. As most here know, he was my hero and he always will be. My avatar is Johnny from early 69...the year he died. I cried for hours when I had learned he had died. I knew of the crash immediately after it happened from a buddy who's Dad had taken him to the Nationals, but I didn't know he had died until the Wide World of Sports aired the Nationals in either late October or November.
Some people whine about TV coverage nowadays...let me tell you it was pretty much non exisitant back then...any kind of racing. bOb
Click to expand...

Yeah, tore me up bigtime....But then, we had the Garden Grove Evening News, great drag racing coverage... but the Chops and John were both local boys.... we had updates in the sports section... I "threw" that paper daily.... 99 homes in my my neighborhood... not bad for three bucks a month...

We also had drag results weekly, previews of what was happening each weekend... even test and tune stuff and I picked up DRAG NEWS every week at OCIR or Lions... and Drag News keep in in touch while I was overseas '73-'74... also N/D... but it only had NHRA stuff.... miss all the match racing updates and AHRA news....

Spring and Summer of '69.... was the best of times, was the worst of times...
 
Registered member said:
The numbers are not that easy. You have to remember there are at least twice as many drivers in nascar and they race a lot more often. ;)
Click to expand...

Take the pro bikes out of the mix, there are 48 pro drivers competing in the pro ranks during a NHRA Powerade event as compared to 43 for a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. But you are correct that NASCAR races more often with 36 races on the schedule as compared to 23 for the NHRA. Even so, I'd have a hard time believing that there are more drivers in the NASCAR sportsman ranks than there are in the NHRA.

That said, I don't miss your point and agree with you that comparisons are not easy. I will say, though, that one of the things that NHRA drag racing has in its' favor is the Safety Safari - which I believe is unmatched in American motorsports.
 
Registered member said:
NHRA was still running the fuel cars at the points meets during this period. And the Grove is a division 1 track.

Late..............Mitch
Click to expand...
Correct. It was not a match race, it was a Division 1 points meet. July 22, 1978 was the date of Dodger Glenn's accident.
My Dad & older brother were there that night. They also told me that the car he was driving was not the familiar Frantic Ford, but the Frantic Arrow since a switch was made to a Plymouth Arrow body.
 
I actually have footage of the Schwartz/Foster crash. My dad was there filming it on 8mm, I have since then converted it from that to VHS and at one time I had it available on in the internet, but I chose not to make it available to the public.

Also here is a link of every fatality involved from a Motorsport incident, from spectaters to whatever. Motorsport Memorial - Car and truck fatalities by vehicle subtype
 
Registered member said:
Take the pro bikes out of the mix, there are 48 pro drivers competing in the pro ranks during a NHRA Powerade event as compared to 43 for a NASCAR Nextel Cup race.
Click to expand...

Was refering to the nitro cars since they were the class being discussed, as well as the number on the track at one time. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Ways To Support Nitromater

Similar threads

T
2 Odd Funny Car Combos
Replies
4
Views
3K
Cliff
C

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Back
Top