1985 Gatornationals

The 1985 Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida.  The year before, in 1984, Joe Amato in Top Fuel, and Kenny Bernstein in Nitro Funny Car, set speed records at this race, of 260 miles an hour, which was the fastest a nitro powered drag racer had gone, at the time, over 30 years ago.  But, in qualifying, funny car pilot Bob Gottschalk, suffered a horrendous fire when the engine exploded, and the fire extinguishers tried to do their jobs when Gottschalk activated them, however, the trees in the woods beside Gainesville Raceway were also set ablaze by the flaming funny car.

Fortunately, Gottschalk escaped the inferno, spent a night in the hospital for observation, and was OK.