Expect the unexpected: that’s what drag racers need to keep in the back of their mind during every pass they make because you never know what will happen. During a recent donk grudge race at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) that pitted Angelo “Big Lo” Graham versus “Turbo Joe” things got crazy in a hurry and both drives had to do some serious driving to prevent a disaster.

Donk grudge racing has become very popular in the southern part of the United States and is full of colorful characters. These drivers are wheeling vehicles that look like something Hot Wheels would sell, however, they are packing plenty of performance under the hood. The fans love this style of racing and there are some great rivalries that keep things interesting.

This race saw Graham behind the wheel of a 1971 Impala that has a massive big-block under the hood and a whole lot of nitrous being pumped into it. Turbo Joe in the other lane is piloting his Buick with some type of boosted engine combination between the fenders. What makes each of these cars so interesting is they seem fairly tame — that is, until the tree drops and they rocket down the track at a high rate of speed.

As Graham and Turbo Joe get ready for their race everything seems to be normal but neither driver could predict the insanity that was about to happen. Turbo Joe gives Graham the back tire and lets him leave first before he gives chase, which might have been what kept this from being a two-car pileup. As Graham sped down the track a radiator hose failed, dumping water under the car’s tires and causing it to spin like a top on the track. Thanks to Graham’s incredible driving the car is kept off of the wall and away from Turbo Joe.

In this video from Free Life Films, we get to see the entire sequence of events that led to Graham going for one crazy ride.