If there were a time for something to go wrong at the drag strip, the moment you are at peak speed and entering the deceleration zone would not be it. As it were, this was the exact scene at Ozark Raceway Park recently when a racer came across the finish line with the throttle open and nitrous still pouring into the engine before the driver got it shut off. Adding to that fun, twin blow outs of the front tires out almost instantly when the front brakes decided to lock up (according to the driver). The good news? He did not hit anything and other than the FUBAR wheels and tires, his big and beautiful Chevelle was unharmed.
While we have no idea what happened we do know that the guy got the parachute out, got the car shut off, and while something may have been amiss with the brakes, he had some sort of a check down procedure that allowed him to keep the car between the walls as it was essentially skidding to a stop at the top end.
Often times drivers go into a bit of a panic and that panic is what really kills them. This dude kept his head and kept his junk well out of the wall. Yes, he has some money to spend on wheels, tires, and potentially some top end engine pieces but it could have been way, way worse. If you have ever wondered how quickly some front runners can blow out at the top end, watch this. It ain’t much time at all!
A simple wheel alignment would have prevented this mess……