Wicked wheelstand nearly turns disastrous when this Mustang slams into the wall.
Crowds love seeing drag cars stand up on the rear wheels, but as this Fox Body Mustang shows us, a wheelstand can go horribly wrong in a hurry. This video from the Spoold Media on YouTube shows how a wheelstand can nearly become disastrous in the blink of an eye. With some driving skill and a little luck, the flying pony still gets the win light.
Dueling Fox Bodies
Unfortunately, we don’t have any concrete details on the cars in this race, but they are a pair of Fox Body notchback Mustangs at WOOOSTOCK 2K18 on April 13 to 14. It’s is an annual grudge racing event held at Darlington Dragwayin Hartsville, South Carolina.
One the drivers racing at Wooostock was Charles Potter, who came out with the wicked red Mustang. We can see the dual four-barrel carbs sticking through the hood, so this car doesn’t have forced induction, but it might be running nitrous. We don’t know for sure, but what we do know is that it packs enough power to put the wheels way up in the air on a launch.
Things Go Wrong
In fact, on this run, the Mustang literally stands up on the back bumper. The extra drag of the bumper hitting the ground caused the car to twist and hop off of the ground, coming down on its side and slamming into the outside wall. After hitting the wall, the car lands on its wheels, the driver straightens it out and the damaged car coasts across the finish line – getting the win light.
While the red Mustang was sliding down the track on its side, the car in the near lane lost traction and then lifted, presumably when the driver saw the other car nearly flipping over as it hit the wall. That gave the win light to the car that hit the wall, although hitting the wall may have been an official disqualification.
Best of all, in addition to the first camera angle at the starting line, the YouTube channel had a second camera down track, almost exactly where the Mustang hit the wall. This allows us to watch this scary race from two different angles, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
