Hurt Drag Racer Blames Muscle Car Group

CHICAGO (CN) - A drag racer sued the National Muscle Car Association, claiming she was seriously injured because an inspector failed to notice that her 1969 Camaro lacked a drive train cover, which is required by the rules.

Barbara Nesbitt sued the National Muscle Car Association, Promedia, Skinny Kid Race Cars, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and NHRA employee Ted Peters, in Cook County Court.

Before she was hurt on Aug. 8, 2010, in a drag race in Charlotte, N.C., Nesbitt says, she was "an accomplished race car driver (who) had competed in hundreds of drag races throughout the United States sponsored, organized, supervised, managed, operated, and/or controlled by the defendants, National Muscle Car Association."

She claims a National Muscle Car Association inspector certified before the race that the car "was in a race ready condition."

But she says the inspector failed to notice that "the plaintiff's racecar did not contain a drive train cover as required by NHRA rules. ... Plaintiff's racecar was not in a race ready condition and was otherwise unsafe for drag racing activities."

She says she suffered severe and permanent injuries when the drive train and other parts failed.

Nesbitt claims the car also had been inspected by an employee of Promedia and by NHRA employee Peters. She claims Skinny Kid Race built the racecar without a drive train shield.

She seeks damages for negligence and strict product liability

She is represented by Colin O'Malley, with Goldberg, Weisman & Cairo.

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