1969 Chevrolet Camaro Dragster Crashes and Flips, Driver Escapes Unhurt

"Mean" Dean joined the Pro Nitrous event at the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, in his Harry Pappas-owned 1969 Camaro. He qualified second for the opening round by driving the Pat Musi Racing Engines-powered dragster to a 3.66-second run and lined up against Ed Burnley for another go at the 1/8-mile sprint.

Things went smooth for the first couple of seconds, but Marinis lost traction just as he was crossing the finish line. One of the rear tires apparently hit a no-traction zone, and the Camaro went sideways before hitting the right-side wall with the rear fender. The impact sent the car flying and spinning almost 20 feet into the air.

The dragster then flew across the strip and narrowly missed Burnley's car on its way to the left-side guardrail. The car returned to the strip on its roof, with most of its body panels scattered on the ground. As the track crew was rushing to the scene, Marinis crawled from the wrecked Camaro on his own, and he managed to stand on his feet, a sign that he's unhurt.

Despite the massive crash, "Mean" Dean actually won the 1/8-mile race with a 3.65-second sprint at 204.57 mph (329.22 kph). In the other lane, Ed Burnely crossed the line in 3.76 seconds at 199.88 mph (321.67 kph).

But none of that matters now. The important thing is that Marinis is okay and that he will be able to race again. It might not happen very soon given the state of his Camaro slingshot, but unlike drivers, dragsters can be rebuilt. Check out the brutal crash in the video below.