Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Doug Gordon, of Paso Robles, California, was uninjured in a frightening high-speed crash during the second round of qualifying Friday evening at the Dodge NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gordon, who had earlier recorded a 5.426-second elapsed time to position him atop the provisional qualifying order, was racing alongside Sean Bellemeur when his MB Cabinets-backed Funny Car drifted out of the groove and turned across the center of the racetrack, rolling over onto its roof and slamming nose-first into the opposite guardrail. The car turned back onto all fours, the chassis separating from the body, before rolling to a stop in the shutdown area.

Gordon’s qualifying effort in the first session held on to lead the field into eliminations. He was replaced on the ladder by first alternate, No. 17 qualifier Doug Schneider.