The single-turbo 1976 Buick Skylark crossed the finish line and burst into flames.
Micah Doban was standing pit side at the Flashlight Drags in Pennsylvania, a race staged on an airport runway, when he heard the high-powered Skylark make an elimination pass.
"I knew it was elimination, so I turned around to see which car it was. Flames lit up under the hood and under the car. There was a big fireball in the cabin," Micah said. "It just kept pouring flames."
His Nissan Skyline GT-R was parked nearby, with an H3R Performance fire extinguisher mounted inside. He ran to his car, grabbed the extinguisher and jumped on his electric bike.
"By the time I got there, he had unstrapped, jumped out of the car and was rolling on the ground," Micah recalled.
The driver, Brian Sypin, was wearing a fire jacket, pants and helmet. He escaped with only a minor burn on his right arm.
The Skylark was still burning
Micah aimed the extinguisher into the engine bay and fired several short bursts.
He had used dry chemical extinguishers on fires in the past, but never an H3R clean-agent extinguisher. At first, he was surprised there was no cloud of powder.
Then the flames simply vanished.
"I was really impressed. I'd never used one before," he said. "As soon as I saw that massive fireball instantly go out, I was like, 'Oh, that's slick.'"
From fuel leak to "a complete furnace"
The dangerous fire had been triggered by a tiny mechanical problem.
Three bolts securing the passenger-side fuel rail had backed off. When the engine came under boost, the fuel rail lifted. The E85/methanol mixture bypassed the injector O-rings and sprayed onto the hot header.
"And that's all she wrote," Brian said.
Brian quickly shut off the fuel pumps, stopping the flow of fuel. But by then the flames had ignited plastic and rubber throughout the engine compartment and cabin.
"It was a complete furnace inside for a little bit," he said.
The damage was severe, but it could have been much worse without the quick response from Micah and other racers.
"Thank you for being there and it not turning into a complete scrap pile," Brian told Micah.
25 years of firefighting, and still surprised
Brian understands fire better than most racers.
He has more than 25 years of experience in firefighting and is assistant chief at his local volunteer fire department.
"I never thought I would have an in-cabin fire like this," Brian said.
After seeing how quickly the fire grew, and how effectively the H3R extinguisher knocked it down, he now strongly recommends that other racers carry fire protection.
"I appreciate what you guys produce," he told H3R, adding that he hopes the story will "open up some eyes when it comes to fire safety."
Ready when another racer needed help
For Micah, carrying a fire extinguisher at the track is a habit that goes back more than 20 years, when a nitrous backfire started a fire in the family's Volkswagen Jetta and they didn't have an extinguisher on hand.
Since then, carrying one has become standard practice. Micah says his family has five cars, all equipped with H3R extinguishers.
That preparation meant that when Brian's Skylark caught fire, Micah was ready to step in.
At the track or on the road, the fire extinguisher in your car may not only protect your own vehicle. It might save someone else's.
"When your car catches on fire and you put it out in seconds, you’ll be like, 'That was worth it. That was so worth it.'"
— Micah Doban
Be Ready When Seconds Count
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