If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that despite the best of intentions and preparation, when you involve highly volatile machinery, even the most unexpected of things can still occur. Such was the case last weekend at the Norwich, Kansas Main Street Drags.

Event planners aimed for safety at their annual acceleration contest, lining the track with concrete barriers and distancing fans from the speeding cars. More importantly, though, the racing was limited to a short sprint of just 150-feet, ensuring no one could build up the speed typical of a destructive crash. But it was not on the racetrack, but in the staging area, that things turned unexpectedly ugly.

Brady Bluma was among those competing at the Main Street Drags on Saturday in his 1966 Chevrolet C10 pickup. Bluma was in line, belts unbuckled awaiting his crack at Main Street when he was suddenly struck from behind by a 1963 Dodge 330. As Bluma says he was told, the owner of the Dodge punched the throttle to keep the engine from sputtering to a halt as he rolled forward in line, at which point the throttle hung wide open with little time to react. The Dodge traveled several car lengths before striking an early ‘80s Olds Cutlass, then Bluma, climbing up the right rear fender his classic pickup and flipping it over onto its roof.

YouTuber Britney Friesen was one of two individuals struck in the melee, as she had been standing near Bluma’s truck when it was hit, knocking her and another unidentified individual to the ground. Both were treated for pain and minor bumps and bruises, but amazingly, no serious injuries were reported to bystanders or those in either of the three cars directly involved.

“I was in the seat but didn’t have my straps on. The truck was in park and off and I was just hanging out until got closer for our time to go. When he hit the Cutlass it knocked him out and doesn’t remember anything until he woke up upside down,” Bluma told Dragzine of the Dodge driver. “You see it happen all over and never think it could be you, but it most definitely can. It’s crazy that no one got seriously hurt or worse, but for sure glad it turned out that way.”