It’s not an uncommon occurrence to see a drag car get a bit squirrely at the drag strip. Considering how much power today’s drag racers are putting to the pavement through relatively small tires ensures that there will be more than a few guys getting out of the groove on a regular basis.
However, it is pretty rare to see a launch as spectacular as the one in this video from last weekend’s LS Fest posted to YouTube. This near miss happened during a round of the LSX Rumble Class, when Mike Mester, the driver of the white 4th Gen Trans Am in the right lane, laid down what is arguably the most violent wheelie of all of LS Fest. The white T/A launches hard, aims its pointy noise towards the sky, and never looks back – dragging the bumper nearly 100 feet, before the ‘bird finally lands in the left-hand lane. Watching Mester’s video shot from the drivers’ point of view, if we didn’t know better we would think we were watching a stunt plane take off at an air show.
Fortunately, the driver of the blue F-body in the left lane either had the presence of mind to stop and let Mester get out of the way, or was having engine trouble. Either way, a very nasty accident was thankfully avoided. After the heart stopping launch, the crowd goes nuts – cheering for both Mester’s epic wheel-stand, and the fact that an accident was avoided.