During the 828 Cash Days no-prep event at Wilkesboro Dragway this weekend, Sammy Tompkins experienced one of the worst-case scenarios we’ve ever seen when his Mustang hit the guardrail and was launched into the scoreboard at a high rate of speed.

It doesn’t matter if you’re doing heads-up racing on a prepared surface or no-prep surface, there’s always the possibility that things could go south. Racers now realize that spending the money on the correct safety gear is about more than just passing tech…it ultimately could save your life if something bad happens. Tompkins’ ultra-violent crash is proof that having the right gear could be the difference between crawling out of a smashed race car on your own or being seriously injured due to a crash.

In this video from TorqueTube SnuffMedia, we see Tompkins squaring off against Billy Hoskinson during eliminations at the 828 Cash Days event. The race looks clean as Hoskinson pulls away from Tompkins until the purple Mustang reaches the finish line. Tompkins’ car makes a huge move to the left and hits the guardrail, which launched the car airborne. The crash took a terrible turn when the back half of the mustang struck the scoreboard at a high rate of speed. The impact was so violent it ripped the rear half of the Mustang off and sent the front half of the car skidding down the track on its roof.

>> View another angle from Spoold Media

Thankfully, Tompkins was able to crawl out of the mangled Mustang under his own power without any serious injuries. Unfortunately, a female spectator was struck by debris from the car and was suffered severe injuries to her arm, but reports indicate she will recover.