When the mini stock of Brad Rhoads burst into flames, onlookers feared the worse. Fortunately, he emerged unscathed during Olga’s California Dream 100 at Madera Speedway in California.
After a connecting rod shot out the side of his 2.5-liter Ford four-cylinder, a fire ensued. The stills released by the track promoting the race’s airing on MAVTV paint a dramatic picture. However, Rhoads said it seemed calmer from his point of view.
“There was no fire inside,” Rhoads, 54, of Pasco, Washington, said. “I was safe because everything was sealed up between the engine compartment and the driver’s compartment. The slightest hole in a firewall becomes a blowtorch when there is an engine fire. I left no gaps or holes where that can happen.”
Rhoads understands fire safety first-hand, as it wasn’t the first experience with a fire in a race car.
“This fire was not as nearly as hot as the first one I had,” said Rhoades. “The first time I bailed out while the car was still moving.”
Rhoads prepared for this fire by selecting the appropriate safety gear, too. He wore a Simpson helmet, with the remaining personal safety gear from Sparco. Rhoads advises racers to take their safety seriously.
“Think about yourself,” Rhoads said. “You don’t know a fire is not going to happen to you. Plan for it to happen, protect yourself and build your car to be as safe as you can make it. It is up to drivers to police themselves on safety.”
Despite the fire on August 19, Brad Rhoads has his car ready to go to race this weekend. He’ll compete at Hermiston Raceway in Oregon
“We took the car home, washed it down, put in a new engine, and we’re off to Hermiston,” said Rhoads. “The trip to California was fun and I came away with enough money to pay for my racing gas. I’ll probably be back next year.”
For those interested in watching Olga’s California Dream 100, you can watch its premiere on MAVTV on September 18.
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.
