Taken from Ezell's FB Page

I believe that just about everyone in the racing world has seen the videos, or read the articles and comments that have been posted and shared on social media. All of it is second hand information from people at the track or watching online. I don’t usually comment on issues on Facebook, but I feel at this point I need to clarify and give the correct information on a few things.

Unfortunately for me, it appears at around 300 ft both bottom frame rails gave out and the car went skidding to a halt. After getting out and taking off the body panels it was realized that the car broke behind the drivers cage where the car has a slip tube on each side. Fortunately, it broke right next to where the inner tube stopped which allowed us to slip the bottom frame rail back on and weld it up solid. Granted I could only weld it up about 75% due to the fuel tank, but I guarantee it was attached better than it was the first pass of that day.

As far as Kyle Seipel and Peter Biondo’s decision, the first thing that was said to me from Kyle was that I had about 25-30 minutes to fix it and to take my time and fix it right. I do believe they were letting them drag the track in order to allow plenty of time. Unfortunately for all 3 of us, they do not own or run the track so they do not have the final say in some decisions.

The tech guy (I believe that is who he was and I do not know his name), who talked to me like I was a 15 year old kid who didn’t know what the hell I was doing, decided to wait until the repair was done to 64 question us about the repair. Every single issue he came up with we had an answer for:
- The car wrecked so you can’t run it.
*No it didn’t wreck, I stopped it in the shutdown.
- It has to be certified.
*No, the break is in an uncertified area of the car.
- You can’t race with unwelded pipe.
*False there are other slip joints on this car that are not welded completely or at all.
- You are not certified to fix it.
*Well, I built the damn car.
- The bottom frame rails skidded through the shut down and were damaged beyond repair.
*Well if skidding 200 ft hurt the pipe then I don’t want to be in it if I wreck. The pipe was still intact, just the very edges of the pipe were ground down.
- What if it breaks again and you crash into someone?
*What if their car breaks and crashes into me? It’s the same risk we all take.
- It’s an insurance liability.
*If that was the case then we wouldn’t have any dragstrips in the south.

At the same time while we were fixing the car, another racer was in the tech guys ear basically convincing him that the car should not go down. I believe this is also the person who initially went to the tower complaining and got the track personnel involved instead of the race promoters. In the end, the tech guy and the people who run the track decided over Peter and Kyle that I would not be racing the rest of the night.

So for anyone who is bashing Peter and Kyle, don’t, they are both great guys who put on some of the best races out there.
At the end of it, I do 100% think that the wrong decision was made. Someone who only knows about SFI number and certifications decided against a homemade hardtail dragster to go down the track. At the same time I have been in Kyle and Peters situation and at the end of the day, they are renting the track and the track management has the final say.
So yes, I still respect Kyle and Peter. I thank them for everything they have done for the sport of bracket racing, and I will still be attending their races with the same homemade hardtail dragster.

If his dragster was safe and ready to race. Why did he put ratchet straps on both sides? That alone would scare the he11 out of anyone with half a brain.

Really? Ratchet straps?

Broken frame rails Eh... I'm a veteran on those. As a matter of fact, both sides at the same time.

quote:

Originally posted by TD3550:
Broken frame rails Eh... I'm a veteran on those. As a matter of fact, both sides at the same time.

what brand...

This was live in my pit that night...the ratchet straps were nothing more than an insurance policy.

It was a tough call for all involved and it is what it is...Johnny is a class act and clearly has earned respect on and off of the track!

I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that the bottom frame rails were dragging in the shut down and no one thought those tubes might be a little thin now. I would think strength of those tubes would be compromised.

quote:

I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that the bottom frame rails were dragging in the shut down and no one thought those tubes might be a little thin now. I would think strength of those tubes would be compromised.sammy mathis

Add to that they fixed it in the dark in 45 or so minutes ...............

I understand the desire to get back out there and race and I'm sure he's a competent welder/builder but they made the right call.

jmo

^^^^^^^ AGREED !!!!

Those slip joints have bolts and nuts holding everything together to begin with. I sure as he11 would trust a good weld over a couple of nuts and bolts..
I have always thought slip joints looked pre-broken....

I’m assuming this was repaired with a butt weld?

I think it was probably fine to race and get him through the night. I seriously doubt he would run it like that from now on.

I think he should have been able to race. It is not like he was 14 years old with no license or anything.

I can see a bunch of you never dirt raced based on the comments.....the welder is your best friend!

seems pretty obvious he thought it was good repair.Hell he was betting his life on it.Sounds like a case of hey he is too good and this way I can get him out w/o racing him.

Hell we helped a friend fiberglass the side of aluminum block in his TA/FC so he could stage and get first round money at Rockingham

quote:

Originally posted by TD3550:
Broken frame rails Eh... I'm a veteran on those. As a matter of fact, both sides at the same time.

If this were brought to a chassis shop, what would the repair consist of?

Many repairs could be done by sliding a tube inside and moving it in position and rosette welding it along with welding the joint.

The one in the picture is at a more complicated location...….slide an inner tube in there and make a clamshell patch around the outside....one possibility.....


I have never once seen any chassis inspection guy look at much of anything but the cage area above the top rail....

Measure the bars O.D. and sonic the tubing for thickness....

quote:

Originally posted by SCDIV1:
Many repairs could be done by sliding a tube inside and moving it in position and rosette welding it along with welding the joint.

The one in the picture is at a more complicated location...….slide an inner tube in there and make a clamshell patch around the outside....one possibility.....


I have never once seen any chassis inspection guy look at much of anything but the cage area above the top rail....

Measure the bars O.D. and sonic the tubing for thickness....

Funny thing is - if he rolled in in the trailer and does nothing more than the quickie repair and just rolls it out of the trailer at the next race, there isn't a tech inspector in the world who would catch it.

I agree. However, this track...these racers...this tech official knew about this quickie repair. No sleeve. No clamshell. In an area that is prone to breaking obviously. So IF those welds broke and all he11 broke loose, and both cars were involved in the incident.....where do you think the track is liability wise having known about the repair and the ratchet straps etc? What is the up side for them taking the chance and letting this car go down the track, knowing that it was in an incident and had a repair that is not ideal? Certainly the driver with the repaired car was confident that the fix would last the day. Should the track have that same level of confidence being that they are aware and responsible to some extent for the safety of both cars going down the track?

Or let's look at it this way: If the car in the other lane was you, or your wife, or son or daughter.....are you still 100% ok with the repair done to the car in the other lane?

Now if the repair was clamshell'ed or had a tube inserted, we wouldn't be having the conversation IMO. Was it?

no spec outside of drivers compartment. I was told by NHRA tech that if I wanted to build rest of chassis out of PVC theres nothing that says I can not.

When the car actually broke in half, critical area is always the seat area, front and back. Why it always pays to pull the entire seat out on inspections. I have the correct reamers that are 12" long that will clean the internal slag off the inside.Slip tube the internal. Had the car squared and strung. Added 10" moly in 2 sections. Pulled the car back to square. Rosette X 8. Tig it up. That gap there is actually prior to the pull.
Left 35 thou for the fillet. Now the repair is stronger than new. Will never break there. Basically double wall moly in the most stressed area of the car. Just love those HT's lol.




The chassis repair was not bad at all. What was the pi** was the body panels all bent up along with the body tabs. I just painted the car 2 months earlier.Spent more time on body work X3 that the lower rails.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TD3550,