Bryant Goldstone’s silver Chevrolet Chevelle has been a class-winning ride for many years, but it’s his AMC Javelin that competes in the Ultimate Iron class that took a big hit on September 17, at the Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.
As the experienced driver approached the start line, looking for a new sub-7-second time, nothing indicated that things will take a wrong turn just a few seconds later. When the lights turned green, he stepped on the gas and the insane AMC Javelin set off like a bullet.
However, toward the 1/8-mile mark, something happened, as the car lost grip and started heading straight for the concrete wall. The Hot Rod Drag Week veteran’s reflexes kicked in and he managed to point the nose the right way, but in a blink of an eye, it then went for the wall again, hitting it. This sent the Javelin dragster flying into the air before landing on its roof.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene of the accident just as the driver freed himself from the wreckage, walking away with minor injuries. MotorTrend reports that Goldstone didn’t go to the hospital, as he only sustained a cut on his finger in the crash that he suspects to have been caused by a water mist, said to have made the right rear tire lose traction, which is what sent the vehicle into the wall in the first place.
The incident that left huge marks on the Javelin reminds us once again that drag racing is a very dangerous sport, and any run can turn into a nightmare very quickly, no matter how experienced the driver or how fast their ride is. Fortunately, Bryant Goldstone will be back to race another day, and he now has another scary story to tell to his grandkids.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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