Semi + jet engine = dragstrip fan favorite, torched signage

By Bill Roberson September 3, 2013

semi jet engine dragstrip fan favorite torched signage jettruckfire2 — 3...2...1... goodbye signs behind this jet-powered truck. Video below. Image used with permission by copyright holder

While it would be easy to put my/our noses in the air and simply dismiss a jet-engine powered semi tractor drag racer as the ultimate redneck entertainment icon, I guess you’ll have to count me in with thine crimson-spined brethren since I’ve watched this video about five times so far. Today.

Never underestimate the power of spectacle – and a jet engine.

While spectators hoot and holler, the unidentified turbine-powered semi tractor gets the crowd warmed up – literally – by injecting some excess fuel into the jet engine’s intake and then setting it alight as it exits. That results in a wall of flame that engulfs a wall of signage, setting it on fire, all the while undoing in a few seconds a decade’s worth of hard work by low and no-emissions vehicles to cut down on pollution and greenhouse gasses. Did it just get hotter in here?

And while there may be no replacement for displacement, there’s also apparently also no replacement for a fighter plane engine’s dollop of pure thrust as the semi rips off a 7-second run at 210mph. Remember, it’s a semi tractor.

Red neck Nirvana? Conspicuous consumption of valuable complex hydrocarbons? Overthruster overkill?

Let me watch the video again and I’ll get back to you.

What’s your favorite automotive spectacle? Jet trucks? Monster trucks? Jet trucks vs. monster trucks? Leave a comment.

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