Drag racing community rallies around Dom Lagana following August street car accident By Josh Hachat

exemplifying what is great about drag racing , racers , teams and fans made it a point to honor hospitalized Dom Lagana at the recent NHRA U . S . Nationals , with many sporting “ Lagana Strong ” shirts and Nitro Ninja tributes to Lagana .

The popular Top Fuel racer , tuner and allaround lovable character in the sport was critically injured in a single-car accident in Hendricks County , Indiana , in early August .

The crash occurred near Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis , and Lagana ’ s passengers in the car , Richie Crampton and Jake Sanders , were also injured .

Both Crampton , a standout Top Fuel driver , and Sanders , a Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 honoree in 2019 , were released from the hospital , but Lagana remains hospitalized after suffering what was initially described as life-threatening injuries .

It continues to be a difficult road for Lagana , battling with pneumonia and a lung issue , though the Lagana Racing Facebook page , which has provided regular updates on Lagana ’ s health , said on Sept . 17 those troubles have slowly progressed in the right direction .

In the midst of what they have called “ a lot of scary days ,” Lagana has proven to be a fighter .

“ He has had numerous surgeries for his burns , all which have been successful so far ,” the Sept . 17 update stated . “ Dom is somewhat alert , but not fully awake yet due to medications and his head trauma . He is making progress each day

PHOTO : SHAWN CROSE