This harrowing video shows the true importance of safety gear in your race car.
Any car that needs a parachute to slow down is bound to be a wild ride. However, the driver of this C7 Corvette drag car got a much wilder ride than he – or anyone in the stands – expected. Drag racer Jason Hoard is lucky to be alive after a terrifying crash that saw his Corvette take flight during a the first round of a “no time” format drag race. In a not time race, the scoreboards are turned off so that the competition can’t see what you’re really working with, and vice versa. The event took place at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Hoard suffered a some broken ribs in the harrowing crash, as well as a possible punctured lung. From the video, we can see that the S197 Mustang in the left lane got the jump on Hoard, who might have pushed a bit to try to catch up. About halfway down the track, we can see the Corvette get slightly squirrelly. Before Hoard can respond, the car becomes airborne, before smashing the rear bumper on the ground and tumbling violently over the left-lane retaining wall.
It’s a horrifying scene, and Hoard is lucky to be alive. In a post on the DragCoverage Facebook page, Hoard was quoted as saying “Guys, take this bad situation I went through and use it to get your safety gear in order. Without a super well built car by Beilman Fabrication and all the HANS and other gear I wouldn’t be here to say this to you guys.” He went on to add, ” The front of the cage is gone from them cutting it and extricating me. But the car did its job and kept me safe.”
Safety gear is expensive, and let’s face it, not the most fun place to spend money on your race car. It doesn’t make your car more powerful or make it handle better. However, as demonstrated by this video, it’s probably the single most important thing you can spend your hard-earned cash on. Stay safe out there!
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