Massive Wheelie – Camaro on Camaro Crime at the Hinton Drags

The Hinton Street Races in Hinton, Oklahoma take things back to the grassroots level, bringing out cars of all power levels to compete against one another in a setting that mimics racing on the street with a little added safety thanks to the barriers lining the racing surface. The track itself looks to be pretty close to bare concrete with a little rubber laid down, though, and would be tricky for even the most seasoned racer to navigate, but this guy proved if you know how to set up your car, you can go from too little traction to too much!

This pair of third gen Camaros lined up to see who would be the King of the Camaro, at least between the two of them, on this day. The car in the near lane surprised everybody when he launched hard, sending the nose skyward. It seems like the wheelstand even surprised the driver, as it panic-pedaled the throttle and let the front end slam back to earth, possibly damaging the oil pan, headers, and front suspension. However, seeing that he was still in the race due to the other car spinning at the launch, the driver jumped back on the throttle, but it was too little, too late.

It looked like a pretty close race, but the wheelstand and subsequent slam was enough to let the guy in the far lane find traction and drive around for the win. I do have to point out an issue that may not seem like that big a deal, but should be addressed. While I understand these events want to keep a laid-back atmosphere, seeing a guy driving a car capable of dragging the bumper while wearing nothing but a t-shirt is a big disheartening. All it takes is one loose or broken fuel line – something that happens often during violent wheelstands – to cause a giant fireball, and without gloves or a jacket on, the driver is painfully close to being burned badly.

I hope the staff at the Hinton Street Races considers mandating some safety rules before they’re acting in response to a tragedy instead of preventing one.