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Johnson's "No Money No Funny" features an original
1968 Nova body on a modern chassis with an injected alcohol 468 c.i.
Chevy motor between the rails.
CRASH ...
Maybe it was just because it was their first taste of
nitro, or maybe it was the lengthy burnouts, but the crowd really came
alive when Frank Jonkman's "NitroMare" Mustang lined up against
the Firebird of Rob "Zombie" Bruce in the opening round.
As it happened, Bruce went up in smoke while Jonkman stormed
to low ET and top speed of the round at 6.911 and 183.89 mph. The Canadian's
real ride was just starting, however, as his throttle hung open and
he wound up hurtling off the end of the Englishtown strip and into the
catch fence beyond the sand trap.
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| Although Frank Jonkman's 1971 Mustang Funny
Car suffered serious body damage in its off-track excursion, the
chassis was relatively unscathed, with only the right front suspension
bent beyond repair. |
"I was pressing so hard on the fuel shutoff lever
that I bent it," Jonkman pointed out later. "I was pulling
really hard on the brake, too, but to be honest, I didn't even think
about the second chute. Brain fade, I guess." He added that his
first question when rescuers reached his side was, "Did it run
a six?"
After surveying the damage -- apparently casued by the
body shifting at speed and jamming the throttle -- Jonkman remained
upbeat, calling the crash "a setback, but not discouraging. It's
all part of the learning curve.
"You may find this hard to believe," he continued,
"but this was the event of my lifetime. I'm loving this!"
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