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OLSON EXPLAINS SCHUMACHER'S CRASH  A day after Tony Schumacher survived a horrifying high-speed crash Oct. 7 at Memphis with relatively minor injuries, the crew chief for Schumacher's U.S. Army-backed Top Fueler said he has "a good idea of what went wrong" when the car's rear wing suddenly failed during the final round of qualifying. "It's one of two areas, but we're not absolutely positive of which one of the two it is," Dan Olson said.
Despite suffering multiple fractures of his left fibula (lower leg) on Saturday evening, Olson said Schumacher was back at the track on Sunday, resting in his motorhome, but already talking about getting back in the car. "He wants to drive, but it's probably going to be awhile," the Army crew chief realized. "But who knows? He's young, he's in good shape; maybe we'll see him back in a couple of weeks." Doctors estimated Schumacher likely will have to wait about six weeks after undergoing compound-fracture surgery Oct. 9 under the supervision of Dr. Terry Trammel, who specializes in treating racing-related injuries at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. "For sure we'll have the car back at Dallas (Oct. 19-21)," Olson stated. "We've got a couple of people lined up who can drive if we need them." He added that the rear wing assemblies on all of Schumacher's and teammate Melanie Troxel's cars will be beefed up before they make another pass. GEOFFRION'S 6.809 LEADS MOPAR REBOUND "When the car left the starting line, I knew I was on a great pass. It pulled throughout the run and I was on the ragged edge," Geoffrion said. "The car sounded like a freight trin at the top end." Geoffrion, who was sidelined in 1999 with an injured back, didn't rejoin the tour until midyear, and frankly hadn't done that well. In fact, it was everything he could do to just qualify. However, at the recent Advance Auto Parts Nationals at Topeka, Kansas, Geoffrion qualified 11th which was his best effort of the season and went two rounds. At Memphis, he improved on that by going two extra rounds and taking runner-up honors to new NHRA Winston Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr.
It was interesting to note that when Friday's two Pro qualifying sessions ended, Morgan and Geoffrion were not qualified and Alderman was 11th with a 6.890. Geoffrion saved his best for last as his best run before Saturday's final session was a 7.037, only good for the ninth alternate spot at the time. |
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Copyright 1999-2001, Drag Racing Online and Racing Net Source |
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He
explained that a Top Fuel dragster's rear wing is under 6,000 to 7,000
pounds of pressure and with the cold, dense air at Memphis, combined
with what he called a "track that's loose and tight on the top end,"
it created a "spin-hook, spin-hook problem that just takes the wing
and whips it around until it breaks." 
Larry
Morgan, the innovative racer from Ohio, turned the first 200-mph ever
for a Mopar and the fifth-quickest time in NHRA Pro Stock history with
a 6.830/200.59 in his Hemi-powered Dodge Motorsports R/T during Saturday's
qualifying session. He held the pole until bumped by Geoffrion.
