Are race drivers expendable...?

[DRTRCR22]

Are race car drivers expendable in the interest of spectator safety...? Johnny Gray doesn't think so... and neither do I... he's very lucky to be alive..!

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/25889-johnny-gray-im-not-interested-in-being-a-60-year-old-guinea-pig

[DRTRCR22]

Here is the video of the "contained" explosion...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufwwuvNZcLg&feature=player_embedded

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530161763699715&set=a.183745651674663.40683.182202988495596&type=1

[fla1976]

Definitely now a good system. You have to have a better way to vent the pressure from an explosion.

[Harbone]

He was pretty vocal during the interview right after the crash, hopefully NHRA listened :!:

[outlaw256]

sorry but I don't want a contained explosion. I want that crap to fly away from me not into me....I know you guys are all about safety, but this type of crap is why me and my buddy quit racing at sponcered tracks.

[TheYellaBrick]

The big issue that I see with 'allowing' the whole body to lift off is, it then becomes an unpiloted drone. If they were designed to blowup in two pieces ( UNTETHERED ), then you'd have 2 unflyable chunks of nonaerodynamic blobs that won't go very far. In this particular incident, the body blew in 2, so without the tethers, it wouldn't have been a contained blow.

[Swiley383]

Johnny Gray's crew chief said they had ideas for side burst panels in the body but the NHRA ignored there ideas