NHRA Pro Mod Driver Rick Hord Goes For Scary Fiery Flying Crash

Traveling at 250 mph is much faster than most human beings will experience outside of an airplane. A very small percentage of people, probably less than 1% of drivers, will ever be behind the wheel of a car accelerating to such speeds. For the men and women of Pro Mod racing, though, they do it on a regular basis.

These cars are put together in such a way as to ensure they’re a force to be reckoned with. In addition to all of the moving parts that are needed to help them accelerate to such speeds, there is an equal amount of safety equipment. These days, the NHRA doesn’t play around when it comes to making sure that its drivers are in a good place in the event of a worst-case scenario. There are certainly times when it comes into play. That safety equipment is put to the test on a regular basis with some of these Pro Mod Races.

When riding along with the driver, Rick Hord, we watch a pretty bad incident unfold. After watching the car get off to a shaky start, eventually, we would see something jaw-dropping unfold. As the car made its way off of the line, the weight transfer would prove to be too much. When the front end of the car lifted up, Rick had no control over the steering. As such, the car would begin to wander toward the centerline. By the time the car touched back down, Rick had already wandered out of the sweet spot for traction.

From there, the machine would be left at the liberty of momentum. The scene couldn’t help but make our stomachs drop as Rick would slide sideways and directly into the wall. This was before the car rolled over and briefly went up in flames.

At the end of the wreck, Rick didn’t appear to be too banged up. He was able to exit the car under his own power. This is a true testament to the investment in safety equipment in these cars. There aren’t too many places on Earth where someone would be able to emerge from an accident at those speeds.