Woman dies after being struck by debris from crash at NHRA Arizona Nationals

Fan dies after being hit by debris from NHRA crash

CHANDLER, Ariz. — A fan has died after being hit by a tire from a crashing dragster at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

The woman was watching a first-round run Sunday at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler when Antron Brown’s Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster went out of control on the strip and its left rear tire and wheel came off.

Alia Maisonet, a spokeswoman for the Gila River Indian Community, says the woman was airlifted to a Phoenix-area hospital for treatment and later died. Gila River emergency responders were among the first to respond to the scene.

Brown wasn’t hurt. Maisonet didn’t know the woman’s name or hometown.