World Record Eighth-Mile – 1969 Dodge Dart

April 19th, 2017

It has been said that you just can’t keep a good man down. Lyle Barnett is a living example of that.

After being badly burned while campaigning his Corvette during Lights Out 6 (2015), Lyle was back in the saddle for Lights Out 8. What took place there will be forever etched in the annals of drag racing history.

Some might ask why Lyle would ever get back into a race car. Those people wouldn’t understand that inside him beats the heart of a drag racer.

After a long recovery, Lyle climbed behind the wheel of Jason Digby’s 1969 Dodge Dart and struck fear in the hearts of the entire Leaf Spring Class. As it turned out, they were right to be afraid – Lyle went on to set a new World Record 1/8-Mile Leaf Spring pass of 4.24-seconds @ 181 mph and dominate the field.

This is a fantastic looking old car that runs even better. It has a 547 cubic-inch Mopar mill with a massive 118-millimeter turbocharger. Lyle’s crew did a great jod with preparation.

Lyle shows us more than just one man’s ability to battle back from serious injury. He demonstrates that one can be soft-spoken, thankful, and humble while still being passionate, goal-oriented, and successful. Thanks Lyle, you are an inspiration.

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