Sal Patel and his awesome Outlaw Drag Radial Viper have been a machine to watch over the last couple of years, as the Drummond Race Cars-built car was the first Independent Rear Suspension-equipped machine to break into the sixes just last October.
The 575-cube V-10 engine is boosted by a pair of 90mm Pro Mod turbochargers and runs through a Powerglide transmission, making this car capable of running on the street as well as at the track. The car recently underwent a Ford 9-inch IRS conversion prior to the Shakedown at The Summit event earlier this year.
The car still has a full interior and weighs in at a whopping 3,600-plus pounds, making his achievements all the more impressive.
This past weekend at the World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway, however, it all unraveled for Sal on a nighttime hit. At half track the car made a hard left turn, spinning in front of his opponent and heading straight into the wall not once but twice before coming to a stop. The MIR crew was on-scene quickly.
In what would prove to be a stroke of luck for both drivers, the opposing car had some issues on the starting line, allowing Patel to get out in front and cross the track without the threat of what could have been a much worse incident.
According to our sources, Sal was uninjured and has confirmed the rebuild of the car, so we’d expect to see it come back and be setting records again in no time. We wish you luck, Sal!
Thanks to Steven at TheRacingVids for the footage!