Texas Motorplex owner Billy Meyer is certain to get a Christmas card from Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Annie Whiteley this holiday season.

On Sunday afternoon, Whiteley, the wife of former Top Alcohol Dragster world champion Jim Whiteley and a seasoned and successful veteran of the alcohol ranks in her own right, went for a hair-raising excursion into the beach at the Motorplex — which fortunately for her has the longest sand trap on the entire NHRA Mello Yello Series tour, allowing her to walk away unscathed.

Whiteley, who qualified fourth at the AAA Texas NHRA Nationals with a 5.56, was racing alongside Doug Gordon in the second round of eliminations when, at the conclusion of a tough 5.52 to 5.50 holeshot loss, the parachutes failed to deploy on her J&A Service Chevy Camaro. Whiteley could be seen working valiantly to slow the car, but ultimately barreled into the sand trap at a particularly high rate of speed — a speed which would have been disastrous at nearly any other stop on the NHRA tour. 

Whiteley continued through the sand — which satellite photos pin at more than 100 yards in length — before striking the catch net at its terminus, causing some visible damage to the nose of the body but sparing it the type of destruction commonplace with high-speed impacts with the safety netting.

Annie emerged from the car, visibly frustrated but nevertheless unharmed and perhaps more worried about her racecar than anything.