"I quit breathing" - When Rick Mears narrated the horrifying 'invisible fire' story from the 1981 Indy 500

In 2021, former IndyCar champion Rick Mears narrated his experience of the 'invisible fire' refueling mishap, sharing how he had stopped breathing as he felt he was getting engulfed by the methanol flames.

Rick Mears won three Indycar championships in 1979, 1981 and 1982, out of which the second saw him face the biggest challenge of his entire career.

At 65th Running of the Indy 500 in 1981, Mears pitted on lap 58. As the pit crew tried to refuel the car, fuel began to pour out before the fuel hose was attached to the car and the methanol fuel started to pour out on the car and onto Mears in the cockpit.

The fuel then caught on fire when it came in contact with the engine of the car, engulfing Mears and a few of his mechanics in flames. Methanol burns with a near invisible flame, which is why all team mechanics fled the scene rather than help Mears extinguish the fire.

When Mears sat down to share his story for the "Rocket" Rick Mears Exhibit at the IMS Museum, he explained how he panicked and even stopped breathing while he was on fire. He said:

"I am sitting there, waiting, and all of a sudden I see this big splash of fuel coming over the top of me, into the cockpit, hitting the dash, down the windscreen and I go 'Uh-oh'. Now I have both hands on the wheel and it ignites." [1:00 onwards]

"So I quit breathing fortunately, but I didn't have a breath because I was struggling to get out and was out of breath. So I quit breathing and kept trying to keep my eyes closed so they wouldn't burn, unbuckled and ended up working my way out [of the car]," he added.

After Mears got out of the car, all mechanics and fire crew fled the scene and it was his father, Bill, who heroically extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. Mears was then taken to the hospital as he suffered major burns to his body and also had to get plasic surgery done for his face.

This horror accident led to a redesign of the fuel nozzle that previously in use, and a safety valve was attached which would only open after the hose was completely connected to the car.

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IMS Museum opened "Rocket" Rick Mears Exhibit in 2021

Rick Mears attends the In Pursuit of FAST: 100 Years of Indy Racing Fashion and Design exhibition opening at Macy's Herald Square- Source: Getty

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum opened a "Rocket" Rick Mears Exhibit in May 2021, which featured Mears' most iconic career machinery and moments, including images from the 1981 'invisible fire' accident.

The exhibit ran from May 2021 through March 2022 as a tribute to the four-time Indy 500 winner. Fans could see the actual cars Mears drove to victory in each of his triumphs at the Speedway.

The exhibit also featured images from the 1981 Indy 500 pit stop incident and Mears sat down with the museum to re-tell the story of his escape from the car after the invisible fire started inside his race suit, in a video published on IMS' youtube channel.

“Rocket Rick Mears presented by Racemaker Press takes IMS Museum guests on a personal journey, giving context to Mears’ formative years and what molded the man, the driver and humble champion," stated IMS Museum's Press Release.

Rick Mears went on to win the 1981 IndyCar season despite his accident at the Indy 500, which even led him to miss the subsequent race at Milwaukee. He now serves as a consultant and spotter for Team Penske in the IndyCar series.