We’ve done plenty of harping here on Dragzine about the inherent dangers of steel guardrails at drag strips, and with each incident that occurs the case becomes ever-stronger against their continued existence. Recent history proves how lethal they can be, and even when the driver walks away, a trip into a steel railing has results no one predict.
Unfortunately another instance arose recently during a grudge event held at the Hub City Dragway in Mississippi, and ace video man Kevin Maurer of NitroArtVideo had his camera rolling to catch the incident, which involved a nitrous-assisted Pontiac Firebird.
The Firebird, in the opposite lane, is racing alongside a pretty stout-looking Chevy pickup that boils the hides right at the hit of the throttle. The Firebird motors on by and while we don’t see how the whole incident began, we do see the end result, as the camera swings back just in time to show the car going nose-first into the guardrail, buckling and tearing through the steel and sending the car up into the air and over the wall in an explosion of debris, turning over at least once before coming to rest.
Thankfully, the roll cage, harnesses, and safety equipment did their job and the driver escaped without serious injury in the frightening ordeal, but the melee virtually destroyed the car, leaving little left to repair.