Pro 275 competitor Tommy Youmans, whose gorgeous 1970 Pontiac GTO is a former Dragzine feature car, rode out what may be the single most incredible and death-defying flight by a radial-tire car in the sport’s history on Thursday evening at the Alabama International Dragway.
Youmans, full of confidence after clocking a new best of 3.77-seconds with his GTO in testing this week, entered this weekend’s FuelTech Radial Outlaws event and was making an early qualifying attempt when his twin-turbocharged machine got wind under its flanks at nearly 200 mph. The car, in a scene that will leave you in utter disbelief, sailed over the left lane guardrail and slammed back down on all fours in the grass, sliding to a stop just fore of a forested area beyond the finish line.
Youmans was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and his condition has not been reported as of press time. Post-crash images circulating the web confirmed moderate damage to the steel bodywork, while the full extent of the damage to the chassis, body, and suspension is likely considerably more given the impact and weight of the car.
Youmans’ GTO was also recently featured in a tech spotlight, as crew chief Jamie Miller outlined the unique turbocharger arrangement intended to improve the balance of the car — a change that certainly paid dividends in its recent performances.