Darrell Russell (drag racer)
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Darrell Russell (September 20, 1968 – June 27, 2004) was an NHRA drag racer. He was the 2001 NHRA Rookie Of The Year. At the time, he was only the third driver to win in his Professional debut.
Before becoming a driver in NHRA's Professional class of Top Fuel Dragster, he competed for several years in NHRA's Sportsman (amateur) class of Top Alcohol Dragster; a slower version of Top Fuel. In four seasons of competition in NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters, he compiled a record of 106 round wins versus 75 loses. He won six events and was runner-up at eleven others, out of eighty-one events entered.
He was fatally injured during eliminations at the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, Illinois. He was competing in the second round of eliminations when his dragster went out of control and crashed just past the finish line. When the NHRA safety team got to Russell, he was unconscious, but breathing. Russell was extracted from his dragster by NHRA emergency services officials and transported by air to the St. Louis Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.[1] His dragster broke up after he crossed the finish line. One of the rear Goodyear tires blew out, damaging the back part of the race car. Shrapnel caused by the exploding tire entered the drivers cockpit from the rear, fatally injuring Russell. It was flying debris from the explosion, not the crash, that killed Darrell Russell. The crash itself, in comparison to other crashes, was not all that bad. In fact, the car was never inverted as happened to Kenny Bernstein in 1993. And it did not heavily slam into the guardrail as Blaine Johnson's car did in 1996.
He died of severe head injuries. Russell is the first racer to be killed at an NHRA national event since Blaine Johnson, in 1996. Gateway named one of its grandstands "The Darrell Russell Stand" in his memory.
He was interred in the Klein Cemetery in Pinehurst, Texas in Montgomery County. Over 2,000 people atteneded his funeral. Many feel he died right as his career was starting to peak. Nearly everyone remembered Darrell with fond memories.
Immediately after Russell's death, Goodyear released an improved version of the tire that is used on all NHRA top fuel cars. The new tires were a harder compound, to prevent failures, and designed to expand less, to slow the cars down slightly.
NHRA required that all top fuel cars switch to the new tires for the next race. NHRA also reduced the maximum nitromethane content of the fuel from 90% to 85%, changed the maximum primary rear wing element angle to 2 degrees positive (measured when dragster is at rest), and required that top fuel cars install a 2mm (0.090-inch) thick titanium shield on the portion of the rollcage that is behind the driver's head. They also required that the rear tires have no less than the minimum manufacturer recommended tire pressure (7psi). To enforce this, Goodyear officials checked the rear tire pressures at the starting line, and added some if necessary.
