Eric Buchanan

As the sun set over the North Texas skyline, the call went out to fire the first pair of the final qualifying session. At rapid pace, fuel altereds lined up and blasted down the eighth mile and Eric Buchanan held low elapsed time of the round with a 3.81 at 187 mph as Doyle Smith and Bobby Marriott brought their nitro burners to life. This is when things got very scary at North Star Dragway.

At the flash of amber, the cars were off the line together and charging hard. Just as the cars neared the 330-foot mark, Marriott's engine let go and erupted into flames with oil spewing under the rear slicks and Marriott battling for control. The car made an abrupt move to the centerline and into Smith's lane as Marriott, now covered in oil and fire, was still fighting to keep control and somehow still got the chutes out and fuel shutoff before being impacted from the rear by Smith's entry. This wild impact sent both cars bouncing across the top end as the left rear slick exploded on Marriott's car shortly after both cars crossed the finish line in the same lane, Smith's scoreboard posting a 4.11 elapsed time at 126 mph.

Marriott was now unconscious and along for the ride as his car three wheeled through the shutdown area and grazed the guardrail before sliding to a stop in a grassy area at the top end. Smith fought to keep his car under control with severe damage to the front end, spinning the "Chemical Reaction" car out near the sand trap, coming to a rest pointed towards the finish line as safety crews scrambled to the scene.