On a day where the drag racing conditions were as hot as one could muster, the reality of drag racing’s inherent danger couldn’t have faced a colder reality.
Drag racing was robbed of an up and coming star, the kind of star which shined brightly on and off the track.
There are those in the drag racing community who refuse to allow Darrell Russell’s memory be extinguished.
In the second round of eliminations at the 2004 NHRA Gateway Nationals, Darrell Russell’s dragster exploded a slick, taking out the wing in a race alongside Scott Kalitta. The errant dragster broke in half and subsequently made contact with the retaining wall and came to a stop.