Shockwave (jet truck)

Shockwave is a family of two jet-powered American trucks: Shockwave, a 1984 Peterbilt 359 truck tractor,[1] and Super Shockwave, a 1957 Chevy truck. The original Shockwave truck was destroyed in a 2022 crash; the Super Shockwave truck continues to be used in performances under a different name.

Shockwave at the 2003 Naval Air Station Oceana Regional Air Show

Shockwave

"Shockwave" was the first of the Shockwave family of trucks. It still holds the world record for jet-powered full-sized trucks at 376 miles per hour (605 km/h).[2][3]

The truck had three Westinghouse J34-48 jet engines, with a total output of 36,000 horsepower (26,845 kW; 36,499 PS),[4] which allowed the truck to complete the quarter-mile in 6.63 seconds.[5] Shockwave was driven by Chris Darnell, who used the truck to compete against planes going 300 miles per hour (480 km/h) in a rolling drag race at airshows, often winning. It consumed fuel at a rate equal to 400 gallons per mile (940 liters per km), even more when the afterburners were activated. To slow the truck down at the end of a race, it needed two aircraft parachutes.[5]

Crash

On July 2, 2022, at 1:10 p.m. EDT at the Battle Creek Field of Flight and Balloon Festival at Battle Creek Executive Airport in Battle Creek, Michigan, the Shockwave Jet Truck experienced a catastrophic rollover event following a mechanical failure, killing the driver Chris Darnell and destroying the truck. The performance involved Darnell racing against two inverted aircraft from a standing start while driving by a large pyrotechnic display, and had been successfully demonstrated by Darnell numerous times in the past.[6][7] Video of the performance showed Darnell's truck outpacing one of the airplanes overhead and about to overtake another when his truck caught fire and appeared to roll. Darnell Motorsports owner and co-driver Neal Darnell, also father of Chris, attributed his son's crash to a mechanical failure, he said in a Facebook post that evening.[8] Battle Creek police identified a blown tire as the likely cause of the crash.[9]

Super Shockwave

"Super Shockwave" is the more recent of the Shockwave trucks. It has two Westinghouse J34-48 jet engines. The truck is built on a 1957 Chevy truck cab. In the full mile, the truck is able to reach 336 miles per hour (541 km/h).[10]

Renaming

Super Shockwave was purchased from the Shockley family by Hayden Proffitt Racing and renamed "Hot Streak II". Les Shockley had obtained his start in racing through crewing for Hayden Proffitt, whose first jet car was named "Hot Streak I".

  • Shockwave performing in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2014
    Shockwave performing in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2014
  • Shockwave racing in Yuma, Arizona, in 2017
    Shockwave racing in Yuma, Arizona, in 2017
  • Shockwave at Randolph Air Force Base in 2022
    Shockwave at Randolph Air Force Base in 2022
  • Super Shockwave in 2008
    Super Shockwave in 2008
  • Hot Streak II (formerly Super Shockwave) in New Hampshire in 2023
    Hot Streak II (formerly Super Shockwave) in New Hampshire in 2023

References
  1. "The Shockwave Jet Truck - the Busiest Cockpit in Drag Racing". 17 June 2014.
  2. "Shockwave Jet Truck". daytonairshow.com.
  3. Davies, Alex (February 19, 2014). "The Jet-Powered Truck Can Hit 375 Miles per Hour". Business Insider.
  4. Arifeen, Mustafa. "Meet the Fire-Breathing 36,000Hp Jet Truck from Hell". DriveTribe. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. "How does a jet truck work?". HowStuffWorks.
  6. Buckley, Nick (July 3, 2022). "One dead following 'jet truck' explosion during Battle Creek Field of Flight performance". Battle Creek Enquirer. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  7. Horak, David; Skog, Anna; Prill, Brennan (July 6, 2022). "'Absolute tragedy': Jet truck driver killed in air show accident". WOOD-TV.
  8. Kransz, Michael (July 3, 2022). "'Mechanical failure' caused fatal jet truck accident at Battle Creek air show, driver's father says". mlive.com.
  9. Steele, Greyson (January 1, 2023). "7 Stories that shaped Battle Creek in 2022". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 6A. Retrieved September 11, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "SHOCKWAVE and Flash Fire Jet Trucks".
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