On November 12, 1999, at the NHRA Finals, Pomona CA Top Fuel qualifying was halted Friday afternoon by a violent blower explosion that occurred when Doug Herbert left the starting line. His dragster traveled less than the thirty feet when a devastating supercharger blast erupted unlike any witnessed in NHRA history. According to NHRA reporting, fourteen spectators were treated for injuries with ten being transported to area hospitals. The blast was so intense, segments of the supercharger rotor casing landed hundreds of feet outside the race facility. Fans and racers inside the facility were showered with debris that littered the area of the return road from the starting line hundreds of feet forward. Herbert received a headache from the concussion and some black and blue toes where a piece of metal hit his foot.
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Notice how high the supercharger "hat" is blown (left of red Pontiac sign at top of bleachers)
Proof that nitromethane has a more energetic high explosive factor than TNT
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