Video of Biondo's win over Fletcher's close call

[Jim Storms]

WOW..Got to give the kid some credit, great save an some luck, 4 new Mickeys and a once over and it will go back in the trailer in one pc.

[Rich Horn]

Great job by young Mr. Fletcher!! Glad he's safe.

[John Leichtamer Jr]

Will somebody have to be killed before nhra dose something about this ??


Hammer

[Byron Worner]

Originally Posted by John Leichtamer Jr

Will somebody have to be killed before nhra dose something about this ??


Hammer

What should they do? Remove the brake pedal???

[Greg Gay]

Respectfully, I need to take the other side of this argument. You are in a racecar, and you know the inherent dangers when you enter this race. Many will hold their nose when I say this, but when you put the shoe polish on the window, the same things that work in a bracket race work for us. Your job is to beat your opponent to the finish line while not beating your time, or to force your opponent to. If there is one thing that has always bothered me, it is the people standing at the finish line at New England Dragway, deciding if there was excessive braking. Maybe it goes back to the '70's when my father was disqualified for hitting the brakes before the finish line (a NED rule back then), but I have always thought that you should be able to do whatever it takes to win the race, and if that means locking up the front tires, then so be it. I remember seeing pictures of Lee Shepard in the RMS Corvette with the front tires just a smoking, and he was just trying to protect his index.

Two weeks ago at Lebanon Valley, Gene Monahan and I both dumped at the first speed line. We hit the finish line with both cars standing on their noses, and that was fine. In fact, it was fun. Gene won, and I wouldn't want to have someone say, "No, Gene's braking was excessive, Greg's was not. Greg's the winner." It doesn't work that way. We have rules for crossing the center line or hitting the wall, and they apply to all classes in drag racing. If John Force can cross the centerline after the finish line, then Thomas Fletcher can too.

Don't like the rule? Then change it, but change it for all of drag racing. Maybe you can't cross the centerline for 300 feet past the finish line. Fine with me. Thomas screwed up, or he had a mechanical failure (the left front tire was turning until the car was mostly sideways), but he didn't break the rules.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Greg Gay

(the left front tire was turning until the car was mostly sideways), but he didn't break the rules.

I've watched the video at least a dozen times and I don't see any "excessive braking". Both cars had the noses dropped but I'm not seeing any tire smoke anywhere.
I think that Dad should be looking for something mechanical, swat the kid on the a**, give him a hug and call it a day.

Is it possible there was something down on the track that caused the car to move like that on the top?

[Andrew Hill]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

I've watched the video at least a dozen times and I don't see any "excessive braking". Both cars had the noses dropped but I'm not seeing any tire smoke anywhere.
I think that Dad should be looking for something mechanical, swat the kid on the a**, give him a hug and call it a day.

The left front was 100% locked up every time I looked at the video (first part in real-time speed). It looked like he let off the brakes somewhat once it started to turn sideways and it unlocked.

Mistakes happen, I'm just glad both drivers ended up unhurt and everyone's cars are fine. Scary stuff.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by John Leichtamer Jr

Will somebody have to be killed before nhra dose something about this ??


Hammer

Change the format, maybe?
If they do ,they'll lose two thirds of the 60% they have now.

[Rich Biebel]

Glad to see the young Mr.Fletcher and the car was not hurt.
I think he probably learned a lesson there and fortunately neither car was hurt.


I was at NED in 1977 or 1978.....Sitting up on the hill. A Chevelle stocker spun out and went into the weeds....no guardwall back then. He kind of disappeared in the woods....Don't know what caused the spinout....The car was not really hurt....

He won the race on Sunday....Rich Rann.....It was a WCS race as they were called back then....