Sat, 13 Feb 2016, 18:31 PM Veteran Racer Densham Ok After Incident in Shutdown Area

Courtesy of NHRA Communications

POMONA, Calif. -- Veteran Funny Car racer Gary Densham, 69, from Bellflower, Calif., was checked and released by NHRA emergency services officials after his Funny Car went out of control and crashed in the shutdown area during the third qualifying session. The parachutes on Densham's Dodge Charger failed to deploy to slow his car following a career-best 4.050 second run, good enough to qualify 11th in the 16 car order. Densham's car plowed into the sand traps and came to a stop in the safety net. "Tore up a perfectly good race car," Densham said. "Don't know what happened. It's great that the Safety Safari is here and they do what they do. These race cars are awful fast and when the parachutes don't work they just don't stop. That's the way it goes."