Mix together horsepower, speed, volatile machines, and never-say-die competition, and, presented enough opportunity, bad things are bound to happen. The National Hot Rod Associations’ 20-24 race season, naturally, presents ample opportunity, and with many of the fastest, most unpredictable wheel-driven machines on planet earth racing on the ragged edge week in and week out, the highlight reel quickly takes care of itself. The 2021 Camping World Drag Racing Series was no exception, as drivers from Top Fuel and Funny Car on down to the sportsman ranks endured everything from hard hits to hot fires, adding to the thrills of attending an NHRA event.

In the absence of any modern-day “And They Walked Away” videos (we sure miss those days), Living Nitro’s Luke Nieuwhof has assembled a look back at the wildest rides of an exciting season of NHRA competition, featuring everything from the Funny Car tango by Tim Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon at Topeka, to Joey Severance’s rollover Top Alcohol Dragster crash at Atlanta and Pro Mod racer Jeff Jones’s incredible save in Dallas. Most spectacular in our book was Jasmine Salinas’ violent blower in Top Alcohol Dragster at Gainesville, Cory Reed’s shutdown-area somersault in Charlotte, and taking the crown, the devastating, high-speed tangle by Brandon Pesz and Dustin Nesloney in Pro Mod at Gainesville.