Shockwave (jet truck)



Shockwave is a family of two jet-powered American trucks: Shockwave, a 1984 Peterbilt 359 truck tractor, and Super Shockwave, a 1957 Chevy truck. The original Shockwave truck was destroyed in a 2022 crash; the Super Shockwave truck continues to be used in performances under a different name.

Shockwave
"Shockwave" was the first of the Shockwave family of trucks. It still holds the world record for jet-powered full-sized trucks at 376 mph.

The truck had three Westinghouse J34-48 jet engines, with a total output of 36,000 hp, which allowed the truck to complete the quarter-mile in 6.63 seconds. Shockwave was driven by Chris Darnell, who used the truck to compete against planes going 300 mph in a rolling drag race at airshows, often winning. It consumed fuel at a rate equal to 400 gallons per mile (940 liters per km), even more when the afterburners were activated. To slow the truck down at the end of a race, it needed two aircraft parachutes.

Crash
On July 2, 2022, at 1:10 p.m. EDT at the Battle Creek Field of Flight and Balloon Festival at Battle Creek Executive Airport in Battle Creek, Michigan, the Shockwave Jet Truck experienced a catastrophic rollover event following a mechanical failure, killing the driver Chris Darnell and destroying the truck. The performance involved Darnell racing against two inverted aircraft from a standing start while driving by a large pyrotechnic display, and had been successfully demonstrated by Darnell numerous times in the past. Video of the performance showed Darnell's truck outpacing one of the airplanes overhead and about to overtake another when his truck caught fire and appeared to roll. Darnell Motorsports owner and co-driver Neal Darnell, also father of Chris, attributed his son's crash to a mechanical failure, he said in a Facebook post that evening. Battle Creek police identified a blown tire as the likely cause of the crash.

Super Shockwave
"Super Shockwave" is the more recent of the Shockwave trucks. It has two Westinghouse J34-48 jet engines. The truck is built on a 1957 Chevy truck cab. In the full mile, the truck is able to reach 336 mph.

Renaming
Super Shockwave was purchased from the Shockley family by Hayden Proffitt Racing and renamed "Hot Streak II". Les Shockley had obtained his start in racing through crewing for Hayden Proffitt, whose first jet car was named "Hot Streak I".