Hot lap qualifying took a whole new meaning for driver Mike Wolfe last Saturday. When his Sharp mini late model caught a rut, he knew he was in trouble. However, Wolfe didn’t know how much trouble was in store.
The incident occurred at Swainsboro Raceway in Georgia. It started when his right-rear wheel caught a rut, causing him to flip several times.
“I got into the marbles, got sideways, and the wheel dug right into a rut,” Wolfe, of Savannah, Georgia, said. “The crash happened so fast. From investigating things, it looks like the impact ripped the breather off of the intake manifold, and somehow that hooked the fuel line.”
The fuel fed the fire.
“The fuel pump pumped for 10 seconds before the safety shut it off,” said Wolfe. “It shot gas on the headers, which ignited it. It got real hot, real fast.”
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Wolfe quickly sprang into action.
“When the car landed on all fours, I went through my exit procedure,” Wolfe said. “I got my belts off in seconds, but I couldn’t get my steering wheel off for what seemed like ages. It was a quick release, and when I yanked it free, I just threw it and got out of the car.”
The crash did not injure Wolfe. He wore a Bell helmet, a Axcel Sports fire suit, Simpson shoes, and Sparco gloves.
“I was not burned at all,” said Wolfe. “I never felt heat on my body, and I got out of the car in less than 15 seconds. Just my helmet was scorched.”
Mike Wolfe intends to replace his helmet. His brand-new car needed relatively modest repairs.
“We will need a new roof, spoiler, wiring, and hoses,” Wolfe said. “A few bars in the front were bent, and we bent the Panhard bar. We found nothing wrong mechanically.”
Spencer Harp, of Sharp Engineering, told Wolfe he will visit him to see if they can make any improvements to design of their mini late models.
“We know of no other fires in one of these mini late models, except for shock covers burning from brake heat,” said Wolfe. “We are going to investigate so we can double up on safety. This is a first, for the fuel line to be ripped out. I’m sure we’ll figure out how to prevent it from happening again.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
