Great Lakes Dragaway crash, man burned during practice run

UNION GROVE, Wis. - A driver was burned when he crashed during a practice run on Memorial Day at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove. 

David Douthit with Douthit Motor Sports was flown to the hospital after being treated for second-degree burns to his eyes, nose and the back of his neck by the safety crew. 

A post by Douthit Motor Sports said Douthit was practicing with the "Scallywag Wheelstander" at the time, and "it was the best run the car has done."

"It got a little squirrelly at the end. Then when he drove it away from the wall, it dumped on the side and caught fire," the post said.

It is believed that the RJS Racing Equipment on board saved Douthit's life, the post said, adding that "he wore a heavier suit than what is required by NHRA."

FOX6 spoke with Douthit by phone on Tuesday, and he explained what led to the crash.

"The car is designed to do a quarter-mile wheelstand," he said. "It was veering left, so I put the front end down, and when I put the front end down, it hung a left turn and crossed over into the other lane, and I drove it back a little bit. It laid over on its left side. Wasn’t a hard rollover. Nothing spectacular. Just laid over on its side, slide down the guard wall a little bit, and then once it came to a stop, I collected myself, noticed it was on fire, took a second to get the seat belts undone because I was hanging in them."

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Douthit said he credits the safety equipment with saving his life.

"That’s what it’s designed for is to keep me from getting more cooked than I did," he said. "I’m very lucky that it wasn’t worse than it was."

A GoFundMe.com account has been set up to raise money to pay Douthit's medical expenses.