Plane Crash Interrupts NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., Sunday

The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals resumed Sunday at Southern California’s Pomona Dragstrip after a hold of about two hours after a single-engine plane crashed into a cluster of motorhomes parked near the edge of the storied racetrack.

The broadcast time on FS1 of the championship-determining eliminations was moved from its original start of 4 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET.

The accident happened a few hundred feet beyond the packed left-lane grandstands at about 11:03 a.m., immediately after the first two pairs of Top Fuel competition had made passes. The end of In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip is on the flight approach to Brackett Field, adjacent to the Los Angeles County Fairplex, which houses the racetrack.

According to KCAL TV, the Los Angeles CBS affiliate, three people were injured. The outlet said firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department disclosed that the three “were hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries that were not considered life-threatening.” A later announcement from the NHRA race-control personnel said two people were transported to a local hospital and were expected to recover from their injuries.

A statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said, "The airplane struck several vehicles on the ground, but no bystanders were struck or injured."

The NHRA Safety Safari and medical team responded to the scene of the accident, as well.

The cause of the accident is unclear.

It was on race day 25 years ago at this event that experienced parachutist Lawrence Yohn, 59, of Perris, Calif., died after crash-landing into the right-side guard wall during the playing of the national anthem in opening ceremonies. That same weekend, during Friday qualifying, Doug Herbert’s Top Fuel dragster engine exploded on the starting line and injured 11 spectators. Herbert was unhurt, and no fatalities resulted.