Dr. Tom Carter only needed to see the dust fly in the air from the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park shutdown area to know prayers for a friend were needed.

Carter, who races in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Funny Car division, was next in line to run during qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ, as Neal Parker was killed when his Funny Car went through the containment system at a high rate of speed.

Hours earlier Parker was the first person he spoke to at the track.

“He was the first guy I saw this morning [when I got to the track],” said Carter as he shook his head in disbelief. “I asked him where my guys were. And now, he isn’t here.”

Dr. Tom Carter only needed to see the dust fly in the air from the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park shutdown area to know prayers for a friend were needed.

Carter, who races in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Funny Car division, was next in line to run during qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ, as Neal Parker was killed when his Funny Car went through the containment system at a high rate of speed.

Hours earlier Parker was the first person he spoke to at the track.

“He was the first guy I saw this morning [when I got to the track],” said Carter as he shook his head in disbelief. “I asked him where my guys were. And now, he isn’t here.”

Those were the last words he spoke to Carter, a racer with whom he’d shared memories over the last few seasons while racing in the IHRA’s Top Alcohol Funny Car division. Two years ago they made the switch to the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

“He was one of the best drivers I’ve known, his natural abilities to drive,” explained Carter. “He never had a problem being fearless. He was an excellent, confident and capable driver.”

Racing was delayed by four hours after Parker’s accident for an investigation by New Jersey State Police. According to the NHRA VP of Operations Graham Light, the parachute used to slow the car never deployed, allowing the car to roll past a safety runoff area, through a pea-sized gravel trap, breaching several safety nets and finally crashing into water-filled barrels.

Even before the accident, Carter had made it a habit to check every shutdown area before he races it.

“I usually go down and inspect the top end of the track,” explained Carter. “I look at how long the shutdown is and where the turn offs are. I look at where the finish line is. It’s a good habit to get into. That’s my biggest fear. I can handle the rest of the stuff. All you have to do is take your foot off of the gas. When you can’t stop one of these things, it’s bad.”

As unfortunate as today’s tragedy was, Carter admits this accident could have happened at any race track on the tour.

“I think this could have happened anywhere,” Carter said. “I think it was an accident and before we pass judgment on the race track, or NHRA, we should find out what happened. There are a lot of things that could have happened.”

The uncertainty of what happened to Parker left Carter unsure of how he’d handle being in the first pair of Top Alcohol Funny Cars to run when the first session resumed following professional qualifying. Carter left before the tree was activated and didn’t receive a time.

“I’m going to miss him a lot,” said Carter. “My prayers and thoughts are with his family. I’m devastated about this. I can’t stress that enough. It makes it hard to get back in one of these things and go down the track. But, I will do it.”