In parts of the great state of Texas, drag racing is a virtual year-round affair, and while the vast majority of the country is on winter shutdown, those looking to get in on some no-prep action trekked south this past weekend to the Edinburg Motorsports Park, just 30 miles from the U.S./Mexico border, for the Winter Meltdown No Prep Shootout. One racer, however, would just as soon it had been the cold, dreary offseason.
Video credit: National No Prep Racing Association
Brownsville, Texas native Jason Cantu, the tuner and driver of the turbocharged, 1,500-plus horsepower Chevrolet S-10 known as “La Vicktoria” went for a wail of a ride while racing alongside Street Outlaws star Jackie Knox, Sr., ending with the gorgeous small-tire truck in virtual ruins.
Video credit: Texas Drag Racing Video
Cantu, running in the left lane, got loose as he neared half track, turning left into the steel guardrails. The truck then proceeded to climb the railing, at which point one of the vertical posts tore the left front wheel and suspension loose from the chassis. That immediate, knife-like damage led to the truck digging nose-first into the racing surface and catapulting in into a short series of flips, ultimately coming to rest on its roof.
Cantu, thankfully, emerged from the incident without injury and was back on the starting line supporting his fellow racers following the clean-up.