Kris Thorne Goes on a Wild Ride After Parachute Fails at 250 MPH
I don’t think there’s any doubt in most minds that 2020 is an incredibly strange year. With the spread of the pandemic that we’re all sick and tired of by now, I’m not sure that anybody could’ve anticipated all of the byproducts. The disease has affected life in more ways than we ever could have possibly imagined.
With that in mind, though, there are folks who are taking steps to get back to some sense of normalcy. One of the organizations trying to do that would happen to be the NHRA. It definitely hasn’t been easy for the NHRA as is the course with most. However, it seems like they’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other to keep the 2020 racing season alive.
This effort would continue this past weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. This has been the host site for the NHRA since it opened back up in mid-July. This past weekend would see some incredible action. However, one driver ended up taking home a little bit more than he had bargained for.
Lining up in the Pro Mod class, Kris Thorne managed to rip off a pretty sweet pass for a first-round victory. After crossing the finish line in just 5.768-seconds, though, at 257.87 mph, things begin to quickly spiral out of control.
Upon trying to slow down, in what is probably one of the most terrifying things that could happen to a driver, Thorne’s parachute would fail to deploy. The display would stand to show us just how important a parachute can be in getting a car like this to slow down. Thorne would be left to use the brakes on the car but the equipment simply isn’t very capable of slowing a machine like this down from such high speeds.
Before we know it, the Pro Mod was veering sideways and into the wall before rolling over and skating on its roof to the sand trap where it would roll over once again.
Thorne was able to make his way from the car after the incident, seemingly without injury.
PHOTO CREDIT – Mark J. Rebilas Photography