Make no mistake about it, drag racing can be the humbling of motorsports.

Just five days after experiencing a breakout weekend in St. Louis that would rank as one of the “high” moments, Pro Modified competitor Edward Wilson experienced the opposite end of the spectrum on Thursday night when he was injured in a high-speed incident in North Carolina.

Wilson, competing in the mid-week Big Dog Shootout at Julian, North Carolina’s Piedmont Dragway, got out of the groove in the left lane opposite of Jason Harris and careened across the centerline, striking the right lane guardrail with some mighty force. Wilson’s gorgeous ’41 Willys ricocheted off the right hand wall and went back across the race track before striking the left lane wall and rolling to a stop. Fortunately Harris clicked his machine off early and was only a spectator in what could’ve been a much scarier two-car incident.

The Benson, N.C. native was alert and transported from the track to the Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, where he’s reportedly being treated for pain in his lower back. Wilson was originally believed to have broken both his back and tail bone, but doctors relayed a much more positive prognosis overnight.

Video credit: RaceWorks.com

Wilson had qualified No. 1 on Wednesday night at 3.94 seconds in his Gene Fulton-powered, Tommy Mauney-built Willys and was alongside the No. 8 qualifier Harris in the opening round when the accident occurred.

Last weekend, Wilson qualified No. 2 in Pro Modified just a tick behind leader Pat Musi at the ADRL Gateway Drags IV and went all the way to the final round on Saturday evening but came up short of Jeff Naiser when the nitrous-fed machine got out of shape late in the run.

We join the rest of the doorslammer racing community in wishing Edward a speedy recovery and a swift return to the cockpit.