Drag racer dies in 'horrific' crash at Sonoma Raceway

A 75-year-old Napa man was victim in fatal one-car accident at Wednesday Night Drags event|

The 75-year-old man who died racing his customized 1976 Ford Pinto on Wednesday night, March 28, was an experienced racer who had participated in the Sonoma Raceway's Wednesday Night Drags before, according to Raceway president Steve Page.

“I'm certain he was part of our drag racing community,” said Page, of James Kenneth Rambo, of Napa. Rambo's family had posted a painting of the man on a public Facebook page, racing a motorcycle.

The accident occurred at about 6:15 p.m. Rambo was racing his car on the quarter-mile drag strip, which has two lanes for competitive racing.

“Depending on how many people run in a particular class, the cars can run as singles or they could run head-to-head during practice,” said Jennifer Imbimbo, the raceway's media director. “It depends on where the numbers fall.”

Rambo was racing “against the clock,” because his vehicle – “a Pinto in name only,” said Page – was in the elite 10-second category, meaning it could cover the quarter mile in that time or less.

Each category requires safety equipment appropriate to the speed the vehicle is capable of attaining. “That includes a full roll-cage that the driver is encased in, and full belt buckling system among other things,” Page said. “There was a safety inspection of all these prior to the race.”

Rambo also must have been wearing a helmet to compete.

Page said Rambo crossed the finish line at 121 miles per hour; on-scene reports said when he may have applied the brakes, the car swerved to the left into the “k-rail”– the temporary concrete barrier that separates the racing lanes or serves as perimeter protection. A Facebook post described the crash as “horrific” and said the driver was taken away in an ambulance.

Lifesaving efforts were provided by an ambulance crew but Rambo died as a result of his injuries, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

“All the systems we had to respond to an accident were fully engaged,” said Page. “We've gone through everything – safety teams, ambulances, everybody here did exactly what was expected of them.

“It's a very sad day for the drag-racing community, it's like a family.” Page said they expected an NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) team to investigate the accident and vehicle soon.

The Wednesday Night Drags have been held at the raceway – formerly known as Sears Point and, later, Infineon raceways – for 30 years, and this is the first fatality during the public events. But there have been at least two other fatalities at the raceway, one involving a motorcycle racer in 2010, and one in 1997 in which a competition NHRA drag racer lost his life, according to Raceway officials.

The drag racing event was shut down following the Wednesday evening accident, but the Raceway has no plans to suspend their drag racing programs, said Page.

“Our drive race manager has been in touch with the family, and we have expressed our condolences on behalf of the track,” Page said. “We'll be in contact with them more fully after they've had some time, to see if there's something they'd like us to do for his memory at the track.”

Contact Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.

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