Dirt Track Racing 2007 (John Scarborough Flip & Fire At Fonda Speedway)

[mr1000rx]

Speedway is expensive to watch so why can't some of the funds go into adequate fire fighting gear.

[gobuckeyes13]

Track looks horrible...Check out Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, OH.

One of the smoothest dirt track you will ever find!

[27mulligan]

one guy with a fire extinguisher is not a rescue team. tracks need to be more resonsible

[TheWatchme14]

it srsly took all night to put that fire out?

[alberto71giordano]

incredibile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[UncaDollas]

Nice job, the fire stuff scares the hell out of me, I just imagine someone being trapped in there. great editing by the way.

[red03mitsu]

man that is a scary crash. he's right though - you should never neglect your safety.

[arizonaresident1]

The thing that gets me is how he kept rolling on the ground and the fire did not go out. It's almost like his firesuit was on fire.

[kdog4791]

Dude the man sprays the car and not the burning driver. wtf

[505197]

It's amazing you made it out alive, my lord what a horrible situation. What was up with the fuel cell anyway? YOu had to have had fuel spilled on you go be in flames like that. I hate fire, it's so instantly deadly, it's rentless, you ain't got any time to spare and you ain't gettin out unscathed in most cases. I kicked the racing habit with the help of an old BMW motorcycle, I get my kicks draggin a toe now and then. Old racers make good bikers, I smoke the kids in the twistys on a GS

[paraglidermx]

Thank Jesus brother....U are ment to keep RAcing !!!!!

[rexcars27]

yeah, you just keep using that water truck to put out a fuel fire. good luck.

is there no fire truck at this track? that's nuts

[darkslayor24]

The racetrack here brags that we have the "best safety crew" every member of our safety crew is or was a firefighter / EMT. we have 2 trucks one on the backstretch and one on the frontstretch each with a guy in a firesuit.

[dsweet443]

i was there that night and all the years ive been going there that was the worst crash i have ever seen

[stevekeller875]

well said by john! Scary and i hope this will teach people no matter what u race to over due it with the safety equip! U never no!

[sillydillydokieo]

lol at the dumbass with the camera getting in everyone's way and not doing shit about anything.

[antiochspeedway1]

that would suck if that happened at antioch because we dont have that much saftey equipment

[caser876]

yes it is fonda and they now have a truck with multiple types of extinguishers and a few guys in suits ready to roll when a wreck happens

[djmweatherman]

One of the most well put together tapes on youtube. Fantastic job telling the story.

[texasmusicfan03]

i got in a head on wreck flipped 7+ times lost my eye, and the scariest part is remembering it all and having it haunt me everytime i pass someone on a two lane hwy.. i kinda know how he feels about the falling of the horse type thing but im just halfway back on the horse.. its hard for me to drive on two lane hwys especially when i got to go atleast 20 miles of two lane hwy to get to divided hwys from where i live.. but i used to enjoy bad wrecks now i hate them bc i know what it feels like..

[wantanz26]

sure the hell can give any props to the track crew.... how long did it take for even one of them to pull out a damn extinguisher... dont they know to have them out and ready when their in route to such a roll.... come on guys get it togather.

props to john though,, glad to hear your dong good.

[pepsiphone]

my dad work on a race car were the driver crashed landed up side down and it was when they use to drive methonal which is a liquid that is invisible to the eye but the driver could feel it running down his neck , he was screaming as loud as he could at my dad dont let anyone come near the car with a ciggerette . luckly they got him out with no serious damage but it was one of his scariest moments in his life

[Thavggg]

ya. methanol burns invisible. It's easily one of the scariest fuels to use for racing.

[chrissie3870]

crashes like that is not fun my uncle and my family race i will do it soon and my dad had somthing like that when he fliped but no fire

[Sasquatchhunter1]

I have been to dozens of dirt track races in the early 80's at Nazareth Raceway in PA. Have seen many wrecks like this and it still amazes me how the "safety offiicials" to this day are still like they were back in the 60's! C'mon, look at these guys, t-shirts, shorts, sneakers...NO fire retardant clothing at all. And useless ABC chemical extinguishers...would think by now they would have professionaly trained firefighters at EVERY track with FOAM extinguishers...like Indy car and NHRA.

[munchmunchmunch12]

@Sasquatchhunter1 go 2 lawrenceburg speedway in indiana that fire-rescue team has the suits the trucks and every thing they need.top notch crew

[Sasquatchhunter1]

I was to hundreds of dirt track races thru the early 80's at Nazareth Raceway in PA. I've seen many wrecks like this and it amazes me to this day how the "safety officials" don't learn! Look at the way they are dressed for one, NO fire retardant gear... t-shirts, shorts and sneakers!!! Tiny ABC chemical extinguishers...uh, think people would realize the need for FOAM extinguishers and properly trained firefighters...not the Beverly Hillbillies for Pete's sake!!! Scary situation indeed.

[gdgdgfdggfdfg]

in all the crashes with fire ive seen on dirt track racing, why do the fire extinguishers seem so useless, is it the fuel they use,the extinguishers used in the top motorsports around the world will put a fire out in seconds.

[TCmod1]

Most dirt racecars run methonal. And most race tracks don't have the right type of extinguisher.

[circlethewagons1]

These cars do not run Methanol. They run a high-octane unleaded gasoline

[Crisgo3d]

So of the old, "OUTLAW" Modifieds used to run on Methanol

[Thavggg]

sprint cars run methonal, most dirt racecars run high octane unleaded gasoline like circle said.

[BuckBMX]

wow is all i have to say,

[cnycarnut]

what track was this at?

[Megaman62889]

Fonda Speedway, Fonda NY

[RapidFire176]

To me, it looks like Fonda, but i am not 100% sure about that.

[christopher6669er]

I dont think enough of the tracks really inspect the fire ear these guys wear!! Thank god he wasnt like alot of these drivers who put all there money in there car then wear junk!!

[circlethewagons1]

I know. I work on a team in a national touring stock car series (ARCA Re/Max Series) and at every race, before practice, they inspect every driver's firesuit and helmet, no matter if they used the same one last week or not. These local tracks need to send an official around and inspect EVERYONES firesuit. Thankfully, John's did its job in this instance

[Nick198225]

where was the fire dept??? why werent they called to put the fire out ?? hmm maybe some class a foam could have put that put in seconds

[gokey53]

This video will be shown on Discovery Channel on Thurs. Jan. 22 at 9:30PM on "Destroyed in Seconds"

[frankisfunny2007]

this shows shuff can go bad in just seconds, even that vid

[gokarter325]

I always recognized his car cause of the big pizza guy on the quarter panels. Scary wreck.

[jerryaltman]

If he was not concient he would burn to dead, cause the stupid rescue team had only small near useless fire extinguishers, despite have a huge truck. They would never put the fire out in time to save hin case he was traped in the car, and the clothes fire resistant would not hold for enough time.

[PictureHouseCinema]

couldn't help but notice the stupid bloke with the extinguisher turning back to fight the fire in the car instead of using it on the driver.

[rwtfallenjf25132]

if you went to school u would know u cant use a fire extinquisher on a human cause if that shit gets in your lungs its like poision and u suffocate and die... now u kno why he didnt put him out

[hazer333]

Actually you're wrong. as long as it isn't prolonged exposure or directly blown into the lungs, you can use it on a human, especially if they are on fire. Thats directly from a FIRE CHIEF!

[TheZoelzer2]

@PictureHouseCinema u could kill someone blowing a fire extinguisher cuz i cuts off oxegen that why it puts out fires.

[djmweatherman]

Excellent video and documentary. This one could be used as a training video for new race car drivers. Good Job...

[DRTGusty]

Smokin Video

[kinshasaAPP]

puns...yay

[NascarFreak2004]

Thanks for the vid! Very scary wreck.

Why are they trying to put out a fuel fire with water?!?!

[orobian]

and, why that guy is running with the fire estinguisher toward the car while the driver is trying to put out flames from his suit rolling?

[nikolaikri]

maybe he thought the driver was rofling?

[meslem99]

what track was this at?

[hazer333]

fonda speedway in upstate NY

[meslem99]

Oh... I live in NY and used to live in Syracuse. That's the track I would see from I-90 when ever I would travel to Albany. I usually go to Accord or Middletown. I just saw the Out Laws at Lebanon Valley on Sunday.

[contactacb]

Looking at Youtube it's amazing how many tracks are not prepared, trained or equipped for proper fire rescue. No fire clothing & tiny 5lb Dry Chems. Should be in Proban minimum using 15/20lb Dry Chem backed by 2 gal AFFF to stop burnback - & the driver is more important than the car, it's less harmful to use the dry chem on him than leave him burning whilst you scoop dirt on him

[spazboy66m]

nice crash

[Hippiegeo]

Crazy crash dude. Glad you are OK

[Ramitup456]

That's one of the worst accedints I've ever seen!! OW!

[TeamMom76063]

thats got to hert badly

[EDDY69SPED]

wow, umm... alright then.

[Arenadancer]

Awesome, and scary video!

[dewers25]

they should have had cold fire at the track, water and dr chem arent worth they weight, and have proven inefective when dealing with fuels and high heat!!!!!!

[laphant]

possibly some more powerful fire control tools could be there thanks for vid...sure am glad guy is ok..

[glassgodofdoom]

Methanol burns clean until the plastics and rubbers and paint catch fire they start to burn about thirty to forty seconds after they are exspode to flame then it looks like a normal fire just with methanol feeding .You will never no the differnce in lest then one minute .

[MICHAELSNEDDEN]

come too lucas oil speedway, Wheatland,mo i'll show u a safety crew 5 personal 2 firetrucks 1,80gal coldfire, 1, 500gal coldfire 1 4x4 ranger with 80 gal coldfire

[glassgodofdoom]

Safty workers wearing shorts what a joke! thank god that one jack ass put out the car while the driver rolls around in dirt!Shame on you track owners for taking our money and then subjecting us to this .

[germandude1005]

i totaly agree at our local track we got to have fire department etc i didnt see any there and i think it shuld b a law

brian

[iwatatakuya]

I cannot how they didnt put out the fire on him, right after he rolled out of the car....they were just trying to put out fire by hand and all...but they never used their extinguisher they had....how stupid....

[ESPguitar260]

they probably didnt use the fire extinguisher b/c i hear that the fumes and stuff put into it can fuck you up if you breath it in too much. at least thats what ive been told

[iwatatakuya]

yeah I guess thats true....they'd rather get burned severely than getting your body screwed up by fumes in extinguisher....lol

[ltlguy2]

Anyone doubting methanol fires should look up Matt Goodnight on fire at I-69 Gas City. You'll see what it looks like. Or lack thereof.

[ltlguy2]

That was most definately NOT a methanol fire. Methanol burns clear. Positive that this guy ran racing gasoline. Great to see he's ok. NEVER NEVER NEVER skimp on safety equipment. Get head socks, good gloves, and good shoes. Those are the things that get burned the quickest.

[lynchracing10]

Well you are right it isn't metahnol, it is a high octane fuel though. But, methanol that is put into racecars has a fuel additive put into it so it doesn't burn clear.

[ltlguy2]

Hey, I'm not sure if they do that where you race or not but, I've never heard of any additives being put into methanol for that purpose. A lot of times people mistake that methanol fires are gas fires because once it starts burning, it usually starts some other type of carbon based material on fire, (gloves, suit, belts, etc.) which gives you a red/orange flame. This was not methanol.

[LLLosingit]

We race using Methonal along with about 300 others in my area and NO there isn't an additive added to the fuel and nobody I know of has heard of it being used

[hazer333]

Yes Wednesday March 26th, 2008 on TruTV 9PM Est you can see the story on Most Daring!

[gokey53]

I heard the video is on TV this Wed. 3/26 at 9PM.

[demokis71]

wow. That is scary stuff. Glad he's ok.

[Espguitarsrock]

A guy died that way. that is why on the fuel cell has a flapper on it. The gas(alchohal) leaked out and caught fire and thats that.

[hazer333]

April 2nd, 2008 on TruTV 9PM Est you can see the story on Most Daring!

[lynchracing10]

I agree with 4Him4U2. I don't know the manpower situation or the available apparatus that Fonda FD has, but is it possible to have maybe 3 or 4 firefighters to do a stand by at Fonda Speedway on Saturday nights. I don't think doing this will "leave the town unprotected". I mean does the track crew even have any extrication equipment? Probably not!

[H5Racing]

Thats crazy but thank god for fire equitment or things could have been worse than they were!

[4Him4u2]

God bless the rescue team here. But, water on a flammable liquid fire is a big no-no. The little 2A10BC extinguishers used are a good start but 2A40BC or AFFF foam would be best. Focus on the driver. We can get a new car. We cannot get a new husband, father, son. The local fire department cannot leave the town unprotected, but maybe a paid crew on a reserve unit with foam would work. Thank God this man did not die. His message speaks volumes and should be heard by all racers.

[chevetteracer]

If it was a methanol fire water would be just the ticket, I know the modifies at my track run methanol, don't know about that track.

[lynchracing10]

I agree with you!

[dekrey19]

i feel bad for him i have been in a prostock when my fuel cell expoded well i was on my roff and i was in ther efor only 6 seconds and let me tell you it was like being in hell my prayers r with u bud and u seem like a good racer and should get back on the horse

[omper7]

How many tracks walk the fine line every night? Owners will really have to worry about selling that extra beer if this turns uglier. This from someone who hits 80 + shows per year as fan and an official.

[ctormor]

The guys are more worried in the car than in the guy in flames!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MICHAELSNEDDEN]

as a racr track fire/rescue supervisor very poor rescue personal abc ext. r a joke afff is the only way to fight race fuel

[Itsme312006]

Not to mention the fact that nobody had any PPE on.

[matt889077]

glad i have a fire bottle in my mod.

[jerryaltman]

Very poor equiped rescue ... Near ridiculous...

[IWILLBEURSLUT]

if this was me. i wud never get back into a race car again. that pooor guy. and those awsum people that put their lives in danger to save his.. shud be applauded.XOXO

[lynchracing10]

The local fire dept. should do a standby at Fonda Speedway with their engine and necessary extrication equipment. So they would be ready to go. It could save someone's life. I'm not putting down the track safety crew, but by the looks of this video, moneys and footballs come to my mind. I know if i was in the fire dept. there i would. Maybe the track owners should consider it!!

[shanio420]

wow... at 1:22... there is a guy with a fire extingwisher and he runs to put the car out out...instead of the driver.., as he is still rolling.... very sad responce to this incident and a wake-up call to ALL speedways...

[evan06kirk]

That is why that was a great tragedy to the saftey of the driver. They have those fire suites and gear.

[Crisgo3d]

This is why you should take safety seriously when driving a racecar. You never know what can happen and you must be prepared. Same goes for the safety crews at Fonda. Thank god Scarborough is alive and racing. He made a good point about replacing your firesuit if its old, has holes and greasy. This is why!

[kdunlap53]

the safety crew looks about normal for a dirt track, but how come he didn't have anything in the fuel cell to stop the fuel spilling, like a rollover valve.

[hazer333]

They do have a saftey feature called a check vaulve that stops the fuel from spilling out when the car is upside down, however John's car broke a fuel line on the cell itself letting the fuel poor out.

[kdunlap53]

he probably had that thing just about full of gas too for rear grip. i guess you just can't always prevent stuff like this.

[mzxrules]

I thought that name sounded familiar... I've been to Fonda a few times. Notice at 1:07 a guy with a camera is one of the first people on the scene.

[lynchracing10]

If Fonda wasn't so damn cheap, maybe they would have some proper fire suppression equipment! Especially when u have numerous hazards, duh its a racetrack.

[FlingNdirt]

Nice to see you were ok....too bad you probably would have burned up thanks to the shoddy safety crew had you not got out:(

[BeckhamRacing]

There is a great article about this incident in "Speedway Illustrated" this month. It is painfully apparent the track safety crew was ill prepared to handle such a catastrophe. One quote said - "They certainly need more than what Fonda had that night - a flatbed pickup truck with a 100 gallon water tank and a Briggs & Stratton pump."

[hazer333]

I feel for the fire Saftey personel also. He is only one man and apparently the track promoter Ric Lucia & his wife Laura don't want to pay anone else to help him.If i'm not mistaken this poor guy only gets like $40 bucks and they take taxes out of it to risk his life, so the least they could do is give him some help. And to top it all off, they pinned the entire thing on this one fire person. Sad display of pass the buck by the track, sad.

[hazer333]

It was at Fonda Speedway in Fonda, NY bud. Congrats to Johnny, he came back and rides again!

[roushracin61799]

was that at albany/saratoga?

[circlethewagons1]

John finally returned to the track this past week with a new #61s sportsman and drove it to a 6th place finish! congrats Johnny!

[kzeh1]

I work safety for a track in Michigan. We have a 200 gal pressurized tank filled with a mixture of water and FireCap, four CO2 extinguishers, four extinguishers with FireCap and two extinguishers with Purple K. The track ambulance also has four FireCap extinguishers onboard. We run with the bare minimum in my opinion so those guys were DEFFINITELY not prepared

[Toywagon]

Very scary. Im glad this driver is still with us.

People panic in this situation. I saw fire extinguishers being used on the car, when the driver was on the other side rolling around trying to put himself out. Everyone can learn from this video. I have.

[hazer333]

Yes sir. When he unbuckled and dropped down he landed in a pool of fuel that soaked his gloves. That is why they caught fire so quickly.

[Radejr47464]

Was that his gloves that caught fire?

[sixflags48]

this happened only 11 days ago

[sixflags48]

that is one scary crash

[hazer333]

The one thing bothering most people close to the situation such as myself is that the track promoter has NOT ONCE shown any grattitude to the people who helped and doesn't want to take any responsibility for being unprepared for the worst possible situation. I visit many race tracks covering them for the radio show and website we own and truthfully Fonda is the only one of the 6 local tracks we cover that was unprepared.

[rockinronny14422]

theres lots of tracks i feel that are not ready for a fire like this. none of the safety crew had fire proof gear on. why ???????????

[right2yadome]

i was there and wow craziest thing ive ever seen

[loafbreads]

Wow!Glad hes ok.Real scary crash.