Blasting off in an ADRL Pro Nitrous Machine to 3.80’s at nearly 200 MPH in the eighth-mile is no simple task, requiring sub-one-second 60-foot times and an insane acceleration rate. Robert Patrick Jr. debuted his new Jerry Bickel-built Pro Nitrous Mustang earlier this year to great success using 903 cubic inches of Sonny’s power and Switzer Dynamics nitrous-oxide injection. Patrick made ADRL history with a win at Maple Grove to mark the first time a Mustang has taken up position in the winner’s circle in Pro Nitrous competition.
[1]This past weekend, he was on the property at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for the ADRL Ohio Drags VI, lined up in the right lane in the first round of qualifying. At the hit, the car left straight and true, but around the 330′ mark we see the first signs of trouble. The car wiggles to the left, then right, then veers across the track to take on the left-side guardwall in a shower of expensive body and suspension pieces. The force of the collision pushed the car back across the track into the opposite guardwall, where what remains of the front end of the car explodes into the sky upon impact. Patrick did manage to keep the car in that right lane after the second hit, and luckily opponent Doug Reisterer had issues of his own and shut down well before the finish line, inadvertently avoiding what could have been much worse.
Thankfully, Patrick escaped with relatively minor injuries, including a broken bone in his foot and injuries to his knees and ribs. He was quick to applaud the ADRL and its stringent safety requirements for perhaps saving his life.
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“I couldn’t be happier with the ADRL and everything they did. All the safety stuff they have implemented worked and it probably saved my life,” Patrick said. “It could have been a lot worse.
“I can’t reiterate enough how quick the response from the safety team was. Everybody involved did a great job and I’m here today because of all that.”
It’s a shame for the Ford-powered driver, who has been in the hunt all season long in the Pro Nitrous class.