Bert Jackson, an ADRL racer competing in the Extreme Pro Stock division, died in a racing accident Friday night at the Dragstock VIII event in Rockingham, NC.

Jackson lost control of his Pontiac GXP just shy of the eighth-mile finish and impacted the guardwall. The throttle stuck on the car and the car traveled to the end of the track.

Jackson, 51, was from Glen Allen, Va.

Bert Jackson, an ADRL racer competing in the Extreme Pro Stock division, died in a racing accident Friday night at the Dragstock VIII event in Rockingham, NC.

Jackson lost control of his Pontiac GXP just shy of the eighth-mile finish and impacted the right-lane guardwall. The throttle stuck on the car and the car traveled to the end of the track.

Jackson, 51, of Glen Allen, Va., is survived by his wife Vaness.

The accident happened during the third qualifying session.

Jackson was transported to First Health Richmond Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead by a medical examiner from injuries sustained in the crash.

Racing was delayed for nearly two hours while race officials extracted the car from the woods, and repaired a damaged guardwall. ADRL officials cancelled the remainder of the session and all runs completed during the session were nullified.

Jackson had been the driver for Enoch Love’s team since 2004. The ADRL’S sixth-ranked Extreme Pro Stock driver had reached two semi-finals this year. He reached one final round, in 2006, while racing in IHRA competition, finishing runner-up to Tony Gillig.

"The entire ADRL community is deeply saddened by Friday’s incident and offers its most sincere condolences and prayers to Jackson’s family, teammates and friends," said Jeff Fortune, Executive Vice President of the ADRL. "Jackson was a passionate competitor, a kind-hearted human being and he touched the lives of many during his drag racing career."

According to ADRL officials, a memorial service will be held at the track on Saturday morning prior to qualifying.