Were Drag Race Deaths a Mishap or a Crime?

Sept. 23, 2004 -- More than a year after tragedy struck on a road outside Bend, Ore., the small town is still torn over what happened — whether it was an accident or a crime.

On the night of Aug. 8, 2003, a group of kids gathered on the edge of town for a night of drag racing. Among them were Stephanie Beeksma, 15, and her best friend, Danielle O'Neil, 16 — who had just gotten her driver's license a month before.

David Black, now 20, was there too, drawn by the competition. "You go out there and prove yourself to somebody else," he told ABC News' John Quinones.

Women competitors raised the bar even higher, he said. "It's even a little bit more kick to you right there, because a girl just beat you, you're like 'Oh!'"

O'Neil, who was out for a night of thrill-seeking, planned to challenge Randy Clifford, then 20, and a local racing legend. But when the two lined up to compete, the police arrived and broke up their race.

With Beeksma in her passenger seat, O'Neil headed back down the very dark two-lane road back to Bend. So did Clifford in one car, and Black in another — and soon a new, much wilder race began.

A Challenge, and Then Death

On the narrow roadway, the three cars careened along at speeds that sometimes passed 100 mph.

After a few miles, Clifford took the lead and pulled away. Black said the third car then pulled up alongside of him, issuing what he interpreted as a direct challenge.

Black says he could not see who was driving, but when it became clear the other car could not pass him, he says whoever it was fell back. However, the car then annoyed him by tailgating.

Black says he then decided the racing was done. He says he let the other car pass him, then watched as it sped away and headed around a curve. It was going way too fast, he said.

At that moment, a minivan approached from the opposite direction, and collided horribly with the car. Black was on the scene in moments and called 911. The van driver was badly hit, but survived. In the car were Beeksma and O'Neil — both dead.