It has been nearly two months since Larry Dixon’s infamous crash at Auto Plus Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, but the hits just keep coming.

YouTube hits that is.                                                              

Dixon’s crash during the third round of qualifying during the Gatornationals that sent his car violently flailing into the air has been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube. It has shown up on news programs in dozens of countries and resulted in countless interviews and discussions on the topic of safety in drag racing.

So with all of the focus centered on his spectacular March crash and not on his first full-time season behind the wheel in more than three years, you would think Dixon would be a bit tired of talking about the accident.

Think again.

“I never get tired of talking about it. It sure beats the alternative,” a smiling Dixon said. “I mean, it’s definitely quite a spectacular wreck. I don’t feel fortunate that I’ve done that twice in the same type of accident, but I feel fortunate that the injuries I sustained 15 years ago in the same type of wreck, that we worked really hard on specific areas of the cockpit to make sure that if we ever got into a situation like that again, I wouldn’t have those same injuries.”

Indeed, Dixon’s wreck in Gainesville was eerily similar to a wreck he suffered in Memphis in 2000 that left him with a broken leg, concussion and eye injuries. This time, however, Dixon walked away without a scratch, leaving him thankful for the vast strides made in driver safety and more than happy to talk about the issue whenever it comes up.

And that includes remembering the very people that helped make the cars safer.

“General Motors, and at the time Herb Fishel, who headed up the racing program. We still stay in touch. Monday morning I sent off an email to him thanking him again for what he did to the cars to make sure I don’t break my legs or suffer a concussion, split my helmet,” Dixon said. “There were so many things that happened. To be able to go through that type of wreck – the crash box said 109 g – to be able to go through that and walk away, I’m just thrilled from that standpoint.”

In addition to putting a spotlight on the advancements in racer safety, Dixon is also quick to point out the increase in worldwide attention his wreck has brought to the sport in general, a brutal reality in a sport where it seems only spectacular accidents seem to break through the mainstream news barrier.

“Obviously, I didn’t want to go through the accident, but it got so many hits on YouTube and such. The world saw it,” Dixon said. “I got emails for interview requests from Germany and England, Asia. I mean, it literally went worldwide. People are obviously paying attention.”

On the track, Dixon is in the midst of a historically competitive season in Top Fuel, with six different winners in the class in the first six races. Currently, Dixon sits eighth in the championship standings in the Bob Vandergriff owned machine, with a runner-up finish coming at Las Vegas.

With momentum on his side, the three-time champion believes it is only a matter of time before this team breaks through with a win.

“With the rule package in place this season, it seems you can win from any position. At Vegas we qualified 15th and here we get to go to a final round. Last week we were 12th and I think we have a racecar that can win,” Dixon said. “The rule package that’s in place, there’s not a lot of room for development. You have a lot of cars that run very similar times.

“Those early rounds at Houston this past week, everybody was running 70s. If you’re going to be in the game, that’s what you’ve got to do. With that being said, anybody can win if you are running with the pack.            

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