Pat Foster, a resident of Long Beach, CA, driving Mickey Thompson's Mach I Mustang, lost control at mid-track and crashed into Gerry Schwartz's Mercury Cougar, with their cars estimated to be going well over 150 miles per hour. Both drivers were taken to the Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Schwartz died and Foster was hospitalized in deep shock. Gerry Schwartz was a resident of Fort Wayne, IN, and is buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Fort Wayne.

The cars were racing in the "Funny Car" class at the 1969 NHRA Springnationals held the Dallas International Motor Raceway (sometimes called Dallas International Raceway), north of the town of same name. The Texas International Pop Festival, a three day rock music event similar to the famous Woodstock Festival - without the rain - was held on the same grounds eleven weeks later.

R.I.P