Drag racing becomes increasingly more spectacular as you move up through the high-power classes, but it also becomes increasingly more dangerous. Roger Holder's recent crash at South Georgia Motorsports Park proves that things can go south in a matter of seconds.
The Pro 275 racer was gunning for a solid qualifier at the fourth edition of DuckX Productions Sweet 16 when his gorgeous, twin-turbo 1968 Chevrolet Nova took flight halfway through the run. The car nosed up and went completely airborne before crashing back on the track.
The hard landing caused Holder to lose control of the Nova, which steered right and went nose-hard into the wall. The impact led to a fire in the engine compartment, but Roger got out of the car almost unscathed.
"It started to wheelie and I got out of it, but I think with the headwind, I got out of it obviously too late. There’s just no in between... as soon as it started to come up I got out of it, because I knew the run was over. The wind got underneath it and I was along for the ride," Holder said after the race.
Having clocked a 3.8-second run that day, Holder tweaked the traction control in an effort to improve his qualifying time. It might have been a bit too much for the Nova, but Roger isn't giving up. "My ribs are beat up and I can barely move, but we’ll make it. We’ll come back," he added.
A visually stunning car finished in metallic red and fitted with massive side-exit exhausts, the 1968 Chevy Nova suffered extensive damage, losing its front hood and a wheel in the process. The twin-turbo V8 and the suspension will require plenty of fixing too, but hopefully, Holder will be back into the Pro 275 pit in no time.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News