Longtime N/A 10.5 (formerly known as Hot Street in the NMRA and Pro Stock in the NMCA) racer Rick Riccardi went for perhaps the wildest ride of his racing career on Friday at the NMRA/NMCA All Star Nationals at the Atlanta Dragway in Georgia when his 1981 Ford Capri got upside down in the shutdown area after a heart-stopping turn of events.

The New Jersey native was racing alongside Michael DeMayo during the opening round of qualifying on Friday afternoon on what looked to be an otherwise typical run from his 420 cubic inch, Ford-powered, all-motor machine when just before the finish line, the car made an immediate turn to the left toward the centerline. Without any time to react, Riccardi was simply along for the ride as the Capri did a nearly complete 360-degree spin before turning up and over onto its roof.

Rick Riccardi Ends up on His Roof in Atlanta from ProMedia LLC on Vimeo.

Fortunately for Riccardi, despite the scary-looking crash from the starting line, the car never made a significant impact with the concrete guardrail, instead nosing into the wall before spinning like a top on its roof. With that, the damage was largely confined to the nose and the roof and spared much of the rest of the body and chassis. Riccardi emerged from the Downs Ford Motorsport-backed machine and much to the joy of wife Jenni Riccardi, crew chief Dennis Varga, and the entire crowd on hand in Atlanta, was uninjured and turned down medical treatment.

Riccardi vowed immediately following the crash that he’d be evaluating the car and rebuilding for a return, and he’s done just that, with images on social media of the Capri already stripped down, the damaged roof and nose cut away and the car off for repairs to get back on track this summer.