Ed Burnley competing in the nitrous pro mod class at Maple Grove. Photo Credit: GoDragRacing.org

The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod racers rolled into Maple Grove Raceway last weekend to compete as part of the annual Super Chevy Show and with rain dampening the event for the early part of the weekend, the Pro Modified drivers were sure to turn up the heat for this great race. Drivers like Steve Drummond and Ed Burnley are well known for being able to take on just about anyone in the Pro Mod ranks, and unfortunately on this day Ed Burnley would suffer a horrific crash on the top end of Maple Grove Raceway that ultimately put an end to the racing for the weekend as the Maple Grove crew was unable to repair the damage to the retaining walls. For more up to date information on the condition of Ed, visit the NEOPM website.

The following details are directly from the NEOPM website and pertain to the crash:

Burnley's car came to rest on its roof near the finish line.

“Burnley was running solid 6.10’s all weekend and MPH’s in the 230+ range which is normal for this this team. After the burnouts, both were beginning to bring their cars into the beams; Burnley was having trouble with the reverser, not uncommon in the heat but it finally went into gear. The tree dropped and opponent Marinis dropped a -.004 on his side giving up the win to Burnley, Until the “first or worse scenario” came into play. Ed Burnley stayed in a strong pass as the car started closing in on the center line it took a hard turn into the wall in a massive blast of parts flying with some fire able to be seen from the starting line. This move the car made into the wall came before the finish line at around 1,100feet  and  at well over 200mph making Dean Marinis the eventual winner in the nitrous session. Supercharged / Turbocharged was cancelled as damage to the retaining walls was major. The final pairing in this class would have been Kevin McCurdy “Supercharged Camaro” vs. Steve Drummond “Twin Turbo Mustang”. As the car came to a halt pushed against the wall on its roof, the emergency crews were on hand with EMT’s and track officials already in emergency mode. You cannot say enough about the response time and how well they take steps to be prepared.”

In the most recent updates that have been posted via the Ed Burnley Racing page on Facebook and the NEOPM website, the report is that Ed has a fractured bone in his back that will require surgery, scheduled for Wednesday morning at Reading Hospital. We all wish Mr. Burnley a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on track very soon.