As bad as this looks, and it is bad, both people involved walked away. Brandon Pesz and Dustin Nesloney were driving hard to try and qualify for the shoe leather tough Pro Mod field at the 2021 Gatornationals when disaster struck on Saturday night. As you will see, Pesz, driving to the outside of the left groove got loose and hooked a right, tangling with Nesloney while on his way to a strong frontal impact with the wall. Here’s a oddly positive thing. The contact with Nesloney definitely benefitted Pesz’s personal safety. What would have been a total center punch into the wall was instead a somewhat deflected blow.
Let’s not kid ourselves, though. This is a nightmare. The front mounted fuel cells that each of the cars have break, erupting into a massive fireball that filled the evening sky. Pesz, on his roof, skidded for a long way in a shower of sparks and junk before coming to a stop.
Both drivers walked away from this because of the equipment they have to wear, how they have to be contained in the car, and what the standards of construction around them have to be. Every safety system, active and passive worked perfectly. Pesz was frustrated with himself after the wreck.
This is racing. Intensity, the drive to qualify, the drive to perform. You just never know what’s going to happen next.
