Jet Dragster driver Al Zukauskas has passed away

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Hot Blade Jet Dragster driver Al Zukauskas has passed away. No age was provided.

An official cause of death has not been announced yet. However, social media accounts suggest that he was involved in an accident.

The incident happened on Saturday at Quaker City Motorsports Park in Salem, Ohio. He was competing in an event called “Night of Fire.”

Zukauskas was making a pass when he had a malfunction at the top end of the track, according to eyewitness Brock Johnson. This malfunction caused the driver to crash into the wall.

Videos posted online show an explosion afterward.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Al “Zee” Zukauskas, long-time pilot of the Hot Blade jet dragster this evening,” Cole Rokosky said in a Facebook post. “I saw Al run for the first time at Summit Motorsports Park growing up, and have been fortunate enough to see him at various tracks throughout the country amidst my travels over the course of the last decade. With one of the quickest and fastest jet dragsters in the country, he never failed to put on one hell of a show and was never anything short of an absolute gentleman while doing so.

“My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and everyone at Pro-Jet Motorsports during this difficult time.”

According to WFMJ, Zukauskas was going 286 mph when the accident happened. A death has been confirmed by the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office.

This is the second straight July, where a Jet driver has passed away. Last year, Chris Darnell passed away competing at a Battle Creek air show event in Michigan.