Sports
Speedway Drivers Gun for Adrenaline Highs [VIDEO]
Ambulances stood waiting near the entranceway.
Metal carnage lay to ruin on Seekonk Speedway's track on Sunday afternoon after enduro, trailer and monster truck drivers gunned their engines until shells of their former vehicles remained.
This weekend showcased an added treat: monster trucks. Michael Vater's team from Maryland drove two trucks and a school bus called "Higher Education" propped up on wheels taken from agricultural vehicles.
According to announcer Kevin Boucher, the trailer races are one of the highlights of the night.
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"It's some of the most hilarious things you'll see," he said, noting drivers tend to dress up their vehicles with dummies and decorative flags.
During Sunday night's race, one vehicle dragged a trailer full of corn husks; it was appropriately named "The Stalker."
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But the action doesn't come without risk. At each weekend show, gased-up ambulances are stationed near the entranceway in case a serious injury occurs. If a vehicle rolls over, all track action stops.
And though no one was seriously harmed, there were some close calls. Audience members held their breath after one enduro driver took a direct hit mere feet from the driver's side door. The crash stopped the car in its tracks while vehicles whizzed past the turn. The driver stayed still until eventually turning on the engine to catch up with the pack.
"I've seen some pretty bad accidents," said Dartmouth paramedic Deborah Norcross. "Guys will need to be stitched up but then they keep on going. They're crazy."
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