Fire escapes from under the hood of Craig Sullivan ’ s fan-favorite “ El Mero Mero ” ’ 49 Mercury after a mechanical failure while launching at Cecil County Dragway ’ s $ 50,000 Pro Mod Invitational . While this particular dramatic fireball came and went fairly quickly , the explosion led to a serious methanol-fueled fire as Sullivan tried to get the car stopped down-track . Sullivan did stop and got out quickly without injuries , but the colorful Merc was severely burnt in the incident . Sullivan and team enlisted chassis builder Larry Jeffers and other pros to repair the car and get it back on track . He returned later in the season , this time with a sinister black paint job .

Photograph by Phil Hutchison Cecil County Dragway | Rising Sun , Maryland | Saturday , May 11 th , 2024

January / February 2025 DragIllustrated . com | Drag Illustrated | 13