Blaine Hiram Johnson (May 22, 1962 – August 31, 1996)
was a professional
drag racer
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...
.
Blaine, along with his lifelong crew chief and brother, Alan, were competitors in the
NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...
Top Alcohol Dragster Series, a series which they entered in 1988. Johnson won four championships in that series (1990–1993). He entered the Top Fuel class in 1994 after receiving his competition license for that class prior to the beginning of the season that year.
At the time of his death, Johnson held a record 26 NHRA titles in the Alcohol Division, until he was later surpassed by
Rick Santos.
However, on August 31, 1996, Johnson died from injuries sustained in a crash at the
NHRA U.S. Nationals held at the
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a ov ...
. Johnson's engine exploded right as he reached the finish line. Debris from the engine cut down the rear tires; the thick rubber from the tires in turn sheared off the rear wing, causing a loss in aerodynamic downforce at the rear of the dragster, which caused Blaine to lose control. His out-of-control race car then slammed into a guardrail apex (an opening in the guardrail that existed for safety vehicles to enter the track), at around 300 m.p.h.. Johnson's car was heavily damaged as a result of the incident. He was sent to
Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital
Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital is a hospital part of Indiana University Health, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest hospital in the state of Indiana and one of only four regional Level I Trauma Centers in the state. It has ...
, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Johnson was the first Top Fuel driver to die on track since
Pete Robinson at the 1971 Winternationals, and would remain as such until 2004, when Top Fuel driver
Darrell Russell was killed during an event in
Madison, Illinois
Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is also a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 3,171 at the 2020 census, down from 3,891 in 2010. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gate ...
.
Johnson's final pass was a track-record run of 4.61 seconds, which remained for two years before
Gary Scelzi
Gary Eugene Scelzi (born August 11, 1960) is an American dragster racer and midget car owner who has won the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship on three occasions and the Funny Car title once. In 1997 he won the title ...
(who succeeded Blaine Johnson as the driver of Alan Johnson's dragster) would beat it. Johnson was also the Top Fuel national record holder at the time of his death (with a 4.59 second elapsed-time), a record that would stand until 1999 when
Larry Dixon would beat it.
Blaine had amassed enough points in the first part of the year to finish fifth in the season ending points standings. At the awards ceremony after the end of the season, Top Fuel Champion
Kenny Bernstein
Kenneth Dale Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed "the Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King funny car and dragster. He has also been nicknamed "th ...
gave his championship trophy to Blaine's brother Alan. According to Alan, that particular trophy is in "a place of honor" at his home in
Santa Maria.
The day after his death, on the first day of Eliminations, his opponent
Tony Schumacher Tony Schumacher may refer to:
* Tony Schumacher (drag racer) (born 1969), American drag racer
* Tony Schumacher (canoeist) (born 1976), Australian sprint canoeist
* Tony Schumacher (German author)
Tony Schumacher (17 May 1848 in Ludwigsburg &nda ...
, performed drag racing's version of a "''missing man''" formation, idling down the track out of respect to Johnson. During the final round, event winner
Cory McClenethan, who was in the lane opposite Johnson during his last ride down the track, stated very clearly, "''And I'll tell you something else, when I get up there and get that trophy, it's going to Alan Johnson. Blaine, we love you, buddy''."
Throughout the rest of the 1996 and deep into the 1997 seasons, the drivers in Top Fuel, and even some in Funny Car, sported stickers on their cars that read "''In Memory of Blaine Johnson''". Many drivers continued to have black tape across their car numbers in mourning, and 1996 Top Fuel points Champion
Kenny Bernstein
Kenneth Dale Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed "the Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King funny car and dragster. He has also been nicknamed "th ...
dedicated the remainder of the season to the memory of Blaine. After Alan Johnson picked
Gary Scelzi
Gary Eugene Scelzi (born August 11, 1960) is an American dragster racer and midget car owner who has won the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship on three occasions and the Funny Car title once. In 1997 he won the title ...
to replace Blaine, he designed the new Winston No Bull dragster, which carried on the windscreen "''In Memory of Blaine Johnson''" for the remainder of the car's life. Blaine's brother, and crew chief, Alan Johnson, went on to be the crew chief for all three of
Gary Scelzi's championships in Top Fuel, and was the crew chief for eight time Top Fuel Champion
Tony Schumacher Tony Schumacher may refer to:
* Tony Schumacher (drag racer) (born 1969), American drag racer
* Tony Schumacher (canoeist) (born 1976), Australian sprint canoeist
* Tony Schumacher (German author)
Tony Schumacher (17 May 1848 in Ludwigsburg &nda ...
for five of his eight championships, amassing 8 championships as a crew chief. He was part-owner of two car Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel team. He presided over and tuned the team to three championships. The first title being in 2010 with driver
Larry Dixon, then in 2011 with driver
Del Worsham
Del Worsham (born February 11, 1970, in Whittier, California) is an American NHRA driver who began his professional career as a driver in Pomona, California, in 1990. Worsham drives a Lucas Oil sponsored car Worsham Racing, a family team. Thro ...
, and again in 2013 with driver
Shawn Langdon. Alan is currently a co-crew chief with John Force Racing, tuning Top Fuel driver
Brittany Force
Brittany Leighton Force (born July 8, 1986) is an American NHRA drag racer and 2-time NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel dragster champion. She is the daughter of drag racer John Force and the sister of fellow racers Courtney Force and Ashley Forc ...
to her first ever Championship in 2017. Thus bringing his total to 12 championships.
On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Blaine Johnson was ranked No. 36.
In 1996, the NHRA established the Blaine Johnson Memorial Award, which is awarded annually to the person or group that best exemplifies the qualities of Blaine. The award is a small bronze bust of Blaine atop a wooden base, with a brass plaque etched with the winner's name and the words NHRA Blaine Johnson Memorial Trophy.
Since 1997, following the NHRA Finals in Pomona, the Johnson Family has hosted the Blaine Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament in which the race community and the public participate to earn funds for the Blaine Johnson Memorial Foundation. The Foundation was created by Blaine's family to provide funds for scholarships to students in the Automotive Technology Lab at Allan Hancock College that exemplify the drive and determination that Blaine exhibited on the track and in life. The foundation also provides material support to the department such as machines and tooling.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Blaine
1962 births
1996 deaths
Dragster drivers
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sportspeople from Santa Maria, California
Racing drivers from California
Sports deaths in Indiana