Texas drag race driver slams into spectators, killing 2 kids

[dalton99a]

1. No protection between spectators and cars past the finish line

The Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website promoted the event as an “action packed, family-friendly day” in which fans could watch the “fastest drag cars compete for over $8000 in total prizes.”

Upward of 3,500 people were in attendance, according to Louis Amestoy, a freelance journalist who was at the event.

The race was an eighth of a mile long, and water-filled plastic barriers lined the course. But Amestoy said they didn’t extend past the finish line, leaving no protection between spectators and cars as they were slowing down at the end of the race.

Spectators could get within about 15 feet of the track, and many watched the race from lawn chairs in the absence of stands. Organizers reminded people to stay in the grass and off the asphalt, Amestoy told The Associated Press in a phone interview.