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Crash, collarbone surgery not stopping Funny Car’s Robert Hight from competing

by Mike Haag | Posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2018

ENNIS, Texas – Nothing these days seems to be stopping NHRA Funny Car driver Robert Hight from his quest to win a third NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship.

Robert Hight. Photo by Ron Lewis

Two weeks ago at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St Louis, Hight took over the points lead with a semifinal win over Tommy Johnson Jr. and then padded his lead by outracing Tim Wilkerson in the finals.

It was his third victory of the season and 44th of his career.

But the win came with a price.

As Hight’s Nitro Funny Car crossed the finish line, the engine exploded and it blew the carbon fiber body high into the sky.  His car slammed into the wall.

Hight was able to get out of the car on his own.  After the NHRA Safety Safari evaluated him, he was then transported to a local hospital in St Louis for evaluation.

Robert Hight. Photo by Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Although Hight missed the official Victory Lane celebration, he was able to return to the track to celebrate with his team.

“I am bummed we didn’t get to do a winner’s circle,” Hight said.  “My guys did a great job working on my race car all weekend and we had a really quick car getting a lot of bonus points and winning the race. We have the points lead now and our focus is to protect and grow that lead. There are a lot of tough race cars out there and we will have our hands full.”

After complaining of pain and discomfort, Hight was evaluated by another doctor and x-rays revealed that he had a left broken collarbone.  On Wednesday, September 26, Hight underwent surgery to repair his injury. 

According to a statement released by John Force Racing, Hight was seen again by George Hatch of Keck Medical Center of USC’s Department of Orthopedics Surgery on Thursday, October 4th for an examination of his left shoulder and clavicle and was released to unrestricted activities. He has since been cleared to compete in all racing activities.

Friday afternoon, Hight returned to the seat of his AAA Texas Chevy Camaro.  After two rounds of qualifying, Hight was seventh fastest on the grid with a 4.013 at 318.99 mph.  On Saturday he improved to the sixth spot after posting a run clocked at 3.979 at 314.83 mph.

Robert Hight. Photo by Ron Lewis

“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Hight said.  “We made two good runs today and got some (bonus) points.  We’re not the quickest and I know that bothers Jimmy (Prock) but we’re qualified top half and that’s what we needed to do.  Tomorrow we need to step it up.  Consistency will win. 3.98, 3.97, those were two good runs today.”

Hight, who is the defending race winner, has had great success racing at the Texas Motorplex.  He has won here three times (2017, 2009 and 2006) and he’s scored six No. 1 qualifiers at this all-concrete dragstrip.

“I love racing at the Texas Motorplex,” Hight said. “The fans in Texas are awesome and that is a track that was built for low ETs. (Track owner) Billy Meyer used to race Funny Cars and he built us a great all-concrete race track that is amazing. If we get good weather I will be excited to see what kind of ETs and speeds we can run in Dallas.”

Final rounds for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals begins Sunday at 11 a.m.  Hight will face Jim Campbell in the opening round.  He holds a 3-1 career head-to-head record against Campbell and he beat him in the first round of this race here last year.

Note:  Should Hight win the 2018 NHRA Funny Car championship, he will become just the fifth Funny Car driver to win back-to-back world championships and the first to do so in the Countdown Era. John Force was the last driver to accomplish this feat, whose streak of 10 straight titles ended in 2002.

About the Author

Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 35 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 18 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.