DANGER ZONE: Kalitta offers sobering reminder of mortality Jun 26, 2008
Eric Medlen was testing his Funny Car at Gainesville Raceway in March 2007 when he hit a guard wall and later died. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed on the last lap of the '01 Daytona 500. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Funny Car champ Pedredon takes Gatornationals for first '08 win Mar 17, 2008
27 mph in his Chevy Impala at the historic Gainesville Raceway. Densham's Impala finished in 4. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Cup rookies face tough qualifying without good race at Bristol Mar 15, 2008
Schumacher will try to make it three victories this weekend at Gainesville Raceway. The only four-time winner at the Florida track is retired Joe Amato. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Scelzi eases foot off pedal Apr 19, 2007
Medlen suffered a fatal head injury in a testing session at Gainesville Raceway, Fla. Schumacher said replacing Scelzi in the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T will be difficult. (Fresno Bee -- Sports)
Force's Focus On Safety Apr 11, 2007
" For the first time since popular NHRA driver Eric Medlen died March 23 from head injuries sustained four days earlier during a test at Gainesville Raceway, detailed answers were given about what went wrong and how John Force Racing will go forward. The forum was a conference call Tuesday during which John Force, a 14-time NHRA champion who held his four-car team out of the Houston event two weeks ago, made a tentative commitment to race this weekend at Las Vegas. Force will test modifications... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
A Gator Nation celebration Apr 4, 2007
30-day news archives. " chanted orange-and-blue-clad Florida fans as the star forward walked by, waving and smiling at the rows of people lining metal barricades."It's unbelievable," Noah said of the crowd's reaction, moments after autographing a woman's left shoulder. "It's going to be a celebration like this for weeks. (Florida Today)
Drag racer Medlen dies at 33 Mar 24, 2007
(AP) NHRA driver Eric Medlen died Friday, four days after sustaining a severe head injury in a crash during a test session at Gainesville Raceway. The 33-year-old Medlen, who drove for John Force Racing, never regained consciousness after his Funny Car crashed into a guardrail on Monday at the Florida track. (USA Today -- Sports)
Eric Medlen, 33; professional funny-car racer Mar 24, 2007
Medlen, who drove for the team owned by the sport's legendary funny-car driver John Force of Yorba Linda, never regained consciousness after his 8,000-horsepower car crashed into a guard wall Monday at Gainesville Raceway. Medlen underwent brain surgery Tuesday at the Shands facility at the University of Florida and was being kept in a drug-induced coma to promote healing, but to no avail. (Los Angeles Times)
NHRA's Medlen undergoes 3-hour surgery Mar 22, 2007
(AP) NHRA driver Eric Medlen remained in critical condition Wednesday, days after a test-session crash at Gainesville Raceway ... Gainesville Raceway executive general manager Don Robertson said Medlen was driving in the left lane of the track when his car appeared to encounter a kind of problem. (News & Observer -- Sports)
NHRA's Medlen in critical condition Mar 22, 2007
Gainesville Raceway Executive General Manager Don Robertson said Medlen was driving in the left lane of the track when his car appeared to encounter a problem. Robertson said the car veered right and hit the right guard wall, but the specifics of the crash have not been determined. (AZCentral -- Sports)
St. Pete Added To Fisher's Schedule Mar 22, 2007
" Fisher, out of Indy car racing most of the past three years, signed with Dreyer & Reinbold in January to run the 12 oval races. She will team with former Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, who was Patrick's teammate last year at Rahal-Letterman Racing. "I can't tell you how excited I am to also be competing on the road course," Fisher said. "My first test went extremely well, and I learned so much. I've never had so much fun in my life. (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
NHRA driver critically injured in test crash Mar 20, 2007
- NHRA driver Eric Medlen was critically injured Monday in an accident at Gainesville Raceway, his team said. Medlen, who drives for John Force Racing, was injured when his Funny Car crashed into the right guard rail during a test session. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Dolphins' Porter cited, accused of punching Bengals' Jones in Vegas Mar 20, 2007
NHRA driver Eric Medlen was critically injured in an accident at Gainesville Raceway. Medlen, who drives for John Force Racing, was hurt when his Funny Car crashed into the right guard rail during a test session. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
NHRA-ACDelco Gatornationals Results Mar 19, 2007
At Gainesville Raceway. Gainesville, Fla. (Columbus Telegram, NE)
Schumacher Ends On Top Mar 19, 2007
I did a good job the second round; I did a great job the third round, two big runs. The last round I didn't fell like I did the best job. (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
Kyle Busch faster, but Burton wins Mar 18, 2007
Las Vegas Review-Journal. Lugnut costly to Las Vegas native in Busch race. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Sports)
Bernstein Comeback Speeding Ahead Mar 17, 2007
I didn't know what it would be like to be on the other side of the street watching instead of driving, so when we had a chance to put this together, I said, 'Let's just go do this, let's give this a shot. " But the comeback for Bernstein, who has won his titles competing in Funny Car (four) and Top Fuel (two), hasn't exactly gone smoothly. He heads to the Gatornationals - the third event of the season - desperately needing to make it into a final round. He wasn't able to advance past the initial... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
This week: Motor Sports Mar 15, 2007
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 7:45 a.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 7:45 a.m. (Saturday, ESPN2, 10 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 8 a.m. (ESPN2, 2 p.m., tape) Track: Gainesville Raceway. A lot of free agents have made recent deals signing with new NFL teams this offseason. (Fresno Bee -- Sports)
Force Blazing A Path Of Her Own Mar 15, 2007
I didn't pick this because I'd be the only woman in it. " Not Quite Twins Dragsters and Funny Car are the NHRA's "nitro" classes, but they are not twins. Top fuel has always been considered the premier category. The open-wheel, rear-engine "rails" are the fastest land machines on earth, covering a quarter-mile in less than 4 1/2 seconds, with a top speed of 336 mph. Funny Cars share the same nitromethane-burning, 7,000-horsepower engines, but they are shorter-wheelbase, front-engine cars with a... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
