Original Post: Riverside County News Source
UPDATED: Saturday, March 23, 6 p.m., With coroner’s release of information.
SAN JACINTO — Officials have identified a man who died when his Top Fuel dragster crashed during yesterday’s opening day of races at San Jacinto’s Soboba Sand Drags. The deadly crash happened on a specially prepared dirt track in the 23300 block of Soboba Rd. Friday afternoon, March 22.
The fatal wreck marred the Southern California Sand Drag Association’s 2019 Season Opener and forced the races to shut down for the evening while officials investigated the cause of the accident.
Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials today identified Marcus Norris, 43, of Litchfield Park, AZ, as the driver killed in yesterday’s accident. A coroner’s release indicated the crash happened at 2:22 p.m., and that Norris succumbed to his injuries about 35 minutes later and was pronounced deceased at 3 p.m.
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department was dispatched to the crash around 2:45 p.m., after officials at the track were unable to pull the critically injured driver from his wrecked Top Fuel dragster, which was modified for sand and dirt track racing.
Firefighters managed to extricate Norris from his dragster, at which time he was pronounced deceased.
CHP Officer Darren Meyer later reported the dragster went off the end of the track, launched over a berm, and overturned in a dry wash. A witness to the fatal crash explained the engine of Norris’s Top Fuel dragster did not shut down after launching, sending the highly modified vehicle over the berm at the end of the track.
According to officials, the remainder of the day’s races was cancelled, but race coordinators later announced the races would continue Saturday in Norris’s honor. Sunday, March 24 is the final day of races at the location.
National Sand Drag News later wrote about yesterday’s fatal accident on social media, saying in part, “The sand drag racing community lost a star and great friend yesterday with the passing of Top Fuel racer Marcus Norris.”
“As anyone can attest that has met Marcus, he was a tremendous person and will be greatly missed,” the post continued. “We send our condolences to the Norris Family & Crew in this difficult time.”
CHP officers and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies were both dispatched to the crash, but it was not immediately known which agency would be investigating the cause of the deadly accident.
