Drag racer recovering from burns after fiery crash in WI can't wait to race again
UNION GROVE, Wis. -- A drag racer is recovering from burns after a fiery crash outside of Milwaukee, CNN reported: .
David Douthit said he can't wait to race again, and plans to be back at the same track for the Fourth of July.
The sport he loves put Douthit in the hospital.
At a Memorial Day classic, his jet-engine-propelled 1997 Scallywag Wheelstander flipped on its side and burst into flames.
"Even laying on my side, sliding down the wall, scared was not going through my mind," Douthit said.
Even though he was in a hospital bed, he couldn't help but smile.
"I'm a fire bug, so I love the fire and the smoke," Douthit said.
He was taken from the track to the skies. A flight for life helicopter carried Douhit to the hospital with second-degree burns covering his eyes, nose, and neck.
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"One of my promoter buddies called and said it looks like I went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson," Douthit said.
Douthit has been driving these jet cars since he was 18.
"Graduated high school and got a jet car license right after graduating high school," Douthit said.
After the pandemic, he quit his job to drive full-time.
He and his wife, Robyn Douthit, now own a jet car business, driving over 30,000 miles across the country each year.
"To say that there's an addiction is, is an understatement," Robyn said. "We'll be back. We love Wisconsin. We come here five weeks out of the year."
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While the fire may have taken Douthit out of the race, you can't take the fire out of his love for the sport.
"Looking forward to getting, getting back to, back to the racetrack," Douthit said.
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