Crashes on the drag strip are never pretty, but this has to be one of the most dramatic. While wheelstands are a dime a dozen, it’s not often that we see a 3,000-plus pound car lifted off its hind legs and nearly thrown off the strip. Unfortunately for Dewayne Mills, this time that car was his ’68 Camaro.
Dewayne “Big Daddy” Mills is one the fastest names in radial drag-racing; currently, his personal best 1/8-mile time is a staggering 3.98 at 202 mph in his “Golden Gorilla” Camar0. In July of 2014, Mills and his Camaro held the drag radial world record of 4.08 seconds at 194 mph in the 1/8 mile.
Obviously, then, Mills knows had to handle both himself and his car on the strip. But even the best can become victim to chaos on the strip. In the video, Mills’ wheelie gets a little carried away and the Camaro goes nearly 12 o’clock. Then, it looks as if the wind grabbed hold and pulled him to the side, hurling him back down on the concrete barrier.
Once returned to the earth, Mills’ Camaro is in bad shape. The right rear wheel is jammed up in the wheelwell, meaning busted suspension and likely some differential and drivetrain woes, as well. And as if that wasn’t enough, Mills and his Camaro then roll across the track, where it appears that the wind catches hold of the hood – yanking the car into the opposing lane’s concrete barrier before ripping the hood clear off.
Once the car finally settles, we can see Mills get out and walk away from the car. Fortunately, his Camaro took all the punishment, leaving him unharmed. This is far from the first trouble that Mills and his team have encountered on the track, so we can expect to see him back on the strip before long.