Notes:
Three people were killed in an accident on 16 October 1971 at the Dallas International Motor Speedway, in Lewisville, Texas, United States. The occasion was the first IHRA sanctioned "Texas Open Drag Championships". During an exhibition run, Art Arfons lost control of his two-seater jet-powered dragster at 283 miles-per-hour when a left front tire failed after the dragster's 15 foot wide braking parachute had been deployed. The dragster veered from the right lane into the left lane of the dragstrip. At 844 feet past the finish line the car struck a 32-inch-high guard rail on the left side of the drag strip, tore out 157 feet of the rail, gained access to the parallel return road, where it struck and killed two IHRA staff members. The car continued another 948 feet to the end of the return road, and an additional 210 feet along a gravel shoulder until it came to rest, upside down, in a watery ditch. Arfons was able to scramble out from beneath the wrecked car, and was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital for observation. He was released and was on a plane back to his home in Akron, Ohio, in less than two hours. Arfons had announced earlier that the Dallas event was to be his last race, which he confirmed again during a press conference two days after the accident.

The two IHRA employees killed in the accident were Robert John Kelsey, 20, from Tyler, Texas, and Sean Pense, 17, from Farmers Branch, Texas. None of the several thousand spectators were endangered by the accident.

Gene Thomas, a Dallas television reporter who was filming the exhibition run from the passenger seat of the jet-powered drag racer as part of an assignment for his morning news program, died at the scene. "Gene Thomas" was the professional name of radio and television newsman Thomas Eugene Alred. Alred was a native of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He served four years in the U. S. Navy, and was formerly a newsman and disc jockey for radio station KOMA-AM in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He had been with WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, since 1969, and had served as its Fort Worth bureau chief before returning to Dallas to host its morning news show. He was survived by his wife, Linda Alred, their son, Darron Alred, and daughter, Jill Alred.

The Texas Open Drag Championship finals were rain-delayed and rescheduled to October 31.

• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.
• Social Security Death Index.
• Texas Deaths, 1964-98.
• Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982.
• Magazine Autoweek, issue of October 1971. [T]
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 10 October 1971, page 5, article "Drags, Planes for DIMS".
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 16 October 1971, section B, page 2, article "Jets, Drags at DIMS".
• Newspaper The New York Times (New York City, NY, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page S16, Associated Press wire service, article "Speed-Car Crash Kills 3 In Texas".
• Newspaper The Sunday Dominion Post (Morgantown, WV, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 5, United Press International wire service, article "Dragster crash kills three".
• Newspaper The Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria, OH, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page D-5, United Press International wire service, article "Arfon's jet crashes, kills 2" (sic).
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 1, article "Drag Racer Kills 3", by Robert Finklea.
• Newspaper The Odessa American (Odessa, TX, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 1, Associated Press wire service, article "Three Persons Are Killed In Dallas Speedway Crash".
• Newspaper The Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, TX, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 22, United Press International wire servic, article :Drag Crash Kills Three".
• Newspaper The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, NE, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 6E, United Press International wire service, article "Arfons' Crash Fatal to Trio".
• Newspaper Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page 46, Associated Press wire service, article "Jet Car Rams Rail, Kills, Three".
• Newspaper Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA, United States), issue of 17 October 1971, page C6, Associated Press wire service, article "Arfons' Jet Car Crashes; Three Killed".
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 18 October 1971, page page 1, article "Police Still Uncertain on Cause of Drag Racer Crash That Killed Three", by George Proctor.
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 19 October 1971, page 6, article "Blowout On Jet Car Revealed".
• Newspaper Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA, United States), issue of 19 October 1971, page E1 & E3, Associated Press wire service, article "Art Arfons Quits After Auto Crash".
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 28 October 1971, page 3, article "Gene Thomas Memorial Set For Chaps-Pacers Contest".
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 29 October 1971, section A, page 9, Associated Press wire service, article "Thomas' Widow Files $500,000 Lawsuit".
• Newspaper Dallas Morning News (Dallas TX, United States), issue of 29 October 1971, page 4, article "Finals of Texas Open Drag Championship Set Sunday".
• Website http://www.knus99.com/news8etc.html. [T]
• Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 38 posting by "Jim Thurman", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=1619014#post1619014 citing [T].
• Website Find-A-Grave: Thomas Eugene Alred.



• Researched, edited and entered by E. R. Kelly on 17 November 2005.