From a racers standpoint, an engine failure or explosion is a devastating occurrence, both monetarily and for the potential danger that it entails. For the fans in the stands however, it is the drag racing version of a NASCAR pile up that may be more responsible for selling tickets than the racing itself. With drag racing vehicles pushing the limits of modern engineering and even scientific theory, it’s as expected as a backstretch junkyard at Talladega.

Presenting the five biggest forced induction engine explosions of all-time would be a nearly impossible undertaking given the small amount of footage prior to the digital age that exists, but we have found some of the more spectacular and intriguing cases in recent memory.

Doug Herbert – Pomona 1999

It would be hard to top the massive explosion that top fuel racer Doug Herbert experienced during the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, CA in 1999 without strapping some dynamite to your race car and setting it off. The explosion lifted Herbert’s Snap-On dragster of the ground, blew the body panels loose, and sent parts and debris across the facility. This explosion was certainly an example that later led to the reduction in nitro percentage.

Mike Moran – Las Vegas 2005

Image credit: Hot Rod Magazine

There is an incredible amount of air circulating under the hood of a twin-turbocharged race car, as the hot, rushing air traverses through piping to the engine anywhere from a couple of feet to clear in the rear of the car, then back. In 2005, NHRA Pro Modified racer Mike Moran experienced an injector malfunction in Las Vegas while driving his 1999 Monte Carlo that exploded in grand fashion, blowing the fiberglass nose apart, sending the blown-out windows and other debris sailing high into the air. While not one of the worst incidents we’ve seen, this one was definitely unique given its very rare nature thus far in the turbo era.

Eddie Hill – Houston 1999

Also in 1999, Eddie Hill, one of the most well-liked personalities to ever traverse the quarter mile, experienced a catastrophic finish line engine explosion in his Pennzoil-backed Top Fueler that nearly caused him to retire on the spot. The force of the engine letting go broke it free from the framerails of the dragster, sending it bouncing down the shutdown area past the slowing Hill. Eddie was evaluated by medical personnel and later released. Eddie was the focal point of many other highlight reel-worthy crashes and explosions during his long career in the sport.

Tony Pedregon – Pomona 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yLEzHlMZ2E

There have been more harrowing Funny Car explosions over the years than quaker has oats, but at the 2008 Winternationals in Pomona, Funny Car veteran Tony Pedregon suffered perhaps the worst to date. Alongside former boss John Force, Pedregon’s Quaker State-backed flopper let loose just beyond the quarter mile marker in an incredible ball of flame, shattering the carbon fiber body and bouncing off the wall at a high rate of speed before spinning to a stop. As a testament to the safety aspects incorporated intro the nitro cars, Tony was left with only second-degree burns to his hand, singed eyelashes, and a lifetime spot on drag racing highlight reels.

Graeme Cowin – Australia 1993

Clutch explosions have mostly been a rare occurrence in drag racing, but when it does happen, you’ll want to have you camera ready. At Eastern Creek Dragway in 1993, the clutch on Australian drag racing legend Graeme Cowin’s Rocket Industries Top Fuel Dragster let go at the 60-foot marker in a dramatic fireball and shower of sparks that could rival some Fourth of July fireworks shows. It was determined that the idle was set too high, overheating the clutch before staging. The explosion sent molten debris into the crowd and pit area, however, no one was injured.