Up until the other day, Tim Savell was having one hell of a year. His daughter had recently graduated from high school, he and the Bankston racing team are leading the NMCA pro mod points, and the year has plenty of racing left to hold. I had reason to speak with Tim last week for a race report I was writing for the NMCA magazine Fastest Street Car. He was upbeat and excited about the successes that the team made for themselves so far and was seeing nothing but the upside of the rest of the year. Then last weekend happened.

You’ll see  Savell driving the Dodge bodied car in the lane closest to the camera. Being that this was a no prep event, traction was at a premium to begin with. With the car heading down the track and Savell wrestling with it, the machine moved out of whatever groove there was at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas. Savell fights with the car when it makes a move at the 330 and does a fine job of straightening it out.

It is when he approaches the finish line that things go horribly wrong. The car pitches completely sideways and shoots across the track, barreling into the concrete wall and reportedly knocking Savell unconscious. Pinballing across the track it hits that wall with immense force and then that’s the moment when things go from horrible to terrifying. As un unguided missile the machine crosses the track again and this time there’s no more wall to stop it.

If there was a miracle in all this it is that Savell’s car did not run into one of the stand of telephone poles he shot through on his way to the woods at what looks like more than 100mph. Banged up but otherwise not badly hurt, Savell is amazingly lucky and the only question remains is when he’ll find his way into a race car again.

This is scary stuff.

Press play to see Tim Savell suffer a horrifying No Prep Wreck at Kennedale, Texas