If you want to run at the front of X275, the most competitive class in small tire racing, you had better bring it every time you put your car in the beams. Every hit — even a bye run — can provide data that could potentially give you the edge needed to win an event. Of course there’s also the potential for disaster on any given run in the class due to the big power going through such a small tire, and X275 veteran Ray Litz got bit by the bad luck bug at the Maryland International Raceway last weekend, when he got loose and made a hard hit with the concrete guardrail.

Litz is no stranger to wheeling his LSX-powered Camaro when things get sketchy. In the 2012 debut of the car at the Holley LS Fes, Litz produced an unintentional show-stopping wheelstand when he put the car on the bumper and took all four wheels off the ground. After that wild ride, Litz got the suspension figured out and his Camaro became one of the consistently quicker LSX-powered cars in the country.

During the 2014 World Cup Finals- Litz was running deep in the seven second zone with his ERL-backed Camaro and qualified third with a 7.17 at 192 mph. During a first round bye run, Litz’s Camaro experienced a transmission cooler hose failure as he clicked the car into high gear during his pass. The car made a sudden and hard left as the tranny fluid flooded the rear tires. Litz stayed calm, grabbed the chute and nearly saved the car but still had a minor dustup with the wall.  The safety gear did its job and Litz walked away unharmed and already has begun working on fixing his X275 machine.

Lead video: Downshift Records