Fuel Altered Racer Kyle High Injured In Scary Tucson Crash

Veteran nostalgia nitro racer Kyle Hough suffered injuries Saturday in a frightening crash behind the wheel of the Sheepherder Fuel Altered at Tucson (Arizona) Dragway’s annual Fuel Altered Chaos.

Hough lost control of the unpredictable, short-wheelbase machine near mid-track. The car turned sideways, climbed the wall, and rolled onto its side up onto the concrete guardrail, cockpit-first. Safety personnel were quickly on the scene to assess Hough and remove him from the battered racecar.

In a statement released from the hospital, Hough said he remembers little about the run itself, but vividly recalled the violence of the impact once the car reached the wall.

“What I do remember is seeing the wall and making impact and going upside down,” Hough explains. “Unfortunately, the impact of the car upside down on the guardrail ripped the steering crossbar and steering wheel right off the car.”

Video by Les Mayhew

Hough’s legs were exposed outside the cockpit during the slide, suffering severe injuries before the car finally came to rest.

“All I remember is this hurts and burns as the car was riding the top of the wall, and I was waiting for the ride to come to a stop. Once the car stopped, I was pinned upside down with the weight of the car trapping my legs between the car and guardrail,” he says.

Hough credited the Tucson Dragway safety team, fellow racers Kevin Knowles and Bryan Kelley, and numerous crew members and family for helping keep him calm during the ordeal and throughout the following hours at the hospital.

After being transported to a Tucson trauma center, Hough underwent extensive scans and emergency surgery. While doctors determined he avoided broken bones and major spinal injuries, the crash left him with deep lacerations and severe burns to both legs that will require multiple surgeries and skin graft procedures.

“My left leg looks as if I was bitten by a shark as there is a large chunk missing,” Hough says. “But all of my safety equipment did its job, and I’m alive to tell the story.”

Hough remains hospitalized as recovery efforts continue. Despite the severity of the crash and the long rehabilitation process ahead, he said the immediate outlook remains positive.

“Good news, I still have my legs and toes. It’s going to be a long recovery, and I’m not sure what the future holds. At this time, we’ll take it one day at a time and see what happens.”