Chris Darnell, the driver of the jet-powered big rig truck known as Shockwave, died this weekend at the Battle Creek, Michigan, Field of Flight airshow. Darnell, 40, was racing two aerobatic planes in a popular airshow attraction when the truck started experiencing trouble at very high speed before it briefly disappeared behind the fireworks flames.
While it appears that the truck was driving through the pyrotechnics, it wasn’t. The fireworks are situated well off the runway and are timed to make it look to the spectators that the truck is driving through them, but such was not the case. The video seems to show the truck erupting in flames and then crashing catastrophically. Darnell was likely killed instantly.
Shockwave was part of the successful Darnell Racing Enterprises, which was founded by Chris Darnell’s father, Neal. The truck was powered by three vintage military turbojet engines. Shockwave is said to be capable of speeds up to 350 mph, it’s not clear how fast the younger Darnell was traveling when the crash occurred, but it was at a very high rate of speed.
No one on the ground was injured.
