text: Car kills two trying to avoid Texas drag race . DALLAS 1996-08-31 An illegal drag race on a Dallas street turned deadly when another vehicle veered into the crowd , killing two people and injuring a dozen more , police said Saturday . Organisers tried to block off traffic while preparing the drag race late on Friday , but an allegedly drunk driver was unable to slow down in time and ran into a group of spectators as he swerved to avoid one of the cars that was to take part in the race . A 26-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were killed . The driver , aged 51 , was arrested and charged on two counts of intoxicated manslaughter . A police spokesman said the straight , flat stretch of road was often used illegally as a drag strip by Dallas youths .