The modified of Carson Wright became engulfed in flames during his feature at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway. Fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds as the set off his onboard fire suppression system, which then knocked it down.
“I’ve been racing all my life and this is something I had never experienced before,” said Wright, who has raced modifieds for nine years. “It was pretty bad.”
Wright, of Georgetown, Delaware, believed a small rock kicked up by his left-front tire hit the braided steel oil line and blew it off of the oil tank. The pressurized line sprayed oil toward his engine and the oil ignited.
“I immediately realized something was going on,” Wright said. “I saw the oil pressure gauge dropping and flames coming into the cockpit, so I immediately shut the car down. Then the fire suppression system went off [and] the flames were gone.”
Fortunately, Wright had a Safecraft onboard fire suppression system, which was automatically activated by a thermal sensor.
“The fire came through the window, over my shoulder, and into the cockpit,” said Wright. “I felt the heat but I did not get burned and my personal safety equipment was not damaged.”
Carson Wright seemed prepared for fire, though. He wore a Velocita fire suit, with K1 RaceGear gloves, Velocita shows, and a Zamp Racing helmet.
“I have always been aware that fires can be part of racing — I have had fire suppression systems in all my cars,” Wright said. “I even wear Simpson fire-retardant underwear.”
The fire only damaged the left side of the body on the Bicknell chassis. It melted the wrap and plastic skirting, and discolored the paint on the frame.
“As far as damage, it’s nothing that we can’t fix,” said Wright. “The important thing is that I didn’t get burned a bit. We should be back at the track this weekend.”
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.
Photographers
The Outside Groove contributor from Macungie, Pennsylvania, has covered the sport since 2012. Sabo serves as the official track photographer of Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania. Photography is a family ordeal for Sabo. He shoots with his daughter, Abby, at Shellhammer Dirt Track in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. At Grandview and other venues Sabo travels to, he and his father, Stephen “Poppa Pepper” Sabo Sr., capture the night’s action with their cameras.
