It was a pretty scary moment in St. Louis but NHRA funny car driver Robert Hight ended the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals with a bang as he won his final while his car simultaneously exploded in flames.

Hight got out under his own power and went to the hospital for precautionary reasons but this could have been much worse.

What also could have been worse was where Hight’s outer shell ended up. As the engine blew up and Hight hit the wall, the outer shell launched into the air and went completely over the grandstands.

Sep 23, 2018; Madison, IL, USA; NHRA funny car driver Robert Hight explodes the body off his car alongside Tim Wilkerson during the final round of the Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. Hight walked away from the incident. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Those cars are designed to be as light as possible but that’s a huge piece flying about 100 feet in the air and would be sure to seriously injure or kill someone if that landed on them. According to this tweet, it seems like the body landed in a camping area. And while their condition is unknown, since it doesn’t appear to be a huge emergency scene, no one seemed seriously hurt.

Hight was able to extend his point lead over J.R. Todd by 30 with just four races remaining.

[ESPN]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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