What Are The Odds? Two Track Bystanders Struck In Same Weekend

Despite the sheer volume of cars going down a racetrack and people present on the starting line — sometimes congregating en masse with seemingly no regard for the rules or the ever-present danger — on any given weekend in America, collisions between cars and bystanders are surprisingly uncommon. Perhaps its a stroke of luck given the circumstances or folks simply doing their due diligence and remaining aware of their surroundings (as they should), but that’s a good thing no matter how you look at it in a sport that universally offers greater access to running cars than any other form of motorsport on the planet.

But this weekend — a weekend of racing that was littered with freak incidents at various venues — lightning seemingly struck twice when two individuals on the starting line halfway across the country from one another were run down by cars backing up from their burnouts.

%CODE1%

At the Tulsa Raceway Park’s Midnight Drags on Saturday night, Kyle Bruce was racing his Ford Mustang when he backed up and struck Robin Sanders, who was checking the groove on the starting line, unaware of his position and Bruce’s speed as he backed up from his burnout. Other than some bruises, Sanders was reportedly uninjured. A day later at the PDRA World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park, Outlaw 632 racer Jeff Ensslin’s 1937 Chevrolet struck a gentleman standing behind the starting line as he returned from the burnout. The injured man was reportedly taken away by medical personnel but escaped without any serious, life-threatening injury.

%CODE2%

The takeaway from these incidents, of course, is that a racetrack is an unpredictable and dangerous place by its very nature and one should never, ever get comfortable or let their guard down anywhere on the property, much less the starting line. And if you aren’t supposed to be there, don’t be there.