Here’s a general rule of thumb. If you are operating a video camera on the outside of the wall at a drag strip and you see the underside of a car hurtling towards you at speed, you may want to at least attempt to get out of the way. This video is nuts because we have every possible angle, yes, even the bottom as you can see in the lead image above! The video was made at Keith Berry’s Wooostock event at Darlington Dragway which featured Radial vs The World cars, No Time cars, and grudge racing.
As you will see, the radial equipped Mustang dead hooks the track and goes into a monster power wheelstand. As the thing climbs nearly vertical the side to side weight distribution shifts, leaving the car with one tire on the ground momentarily and that’s when things get messy for the driver. The Mustang literally launches itself onto its side when the driver’s side rear tire is the last thing contacting the track. Slamming down on the driver’s door and skidding a while before tail slapping the wall, the Mustang then lands on all four wheels, the driver gathers it up and the car is seemingly under control.
Oddly, we’re guessing that mechanical damage is not that significant as there was no real crazy impact on chassis or suspension pieces and the body seemed to take the brunt of the impact both on the side and the tail. Maybe a tweaked control arm or something but the car is not a write off by any means.
It’s not a roll, it’s not a flip, it’s a….door slide? What the hell are we supposed to call this? Weird one, for sure and we are glad that the driver was OK.
Let me also mention that he won the race…
Won the race? Hitting the wall before the finish line means DQ right? Anyway, the video guy outside the wall should be thanking the good Lord. That car easily could have gone over the wall and taken him out. Can you say DUCK!!!