Car explodes in half at 482km/h | video

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Karla Pincott

Editor

1 min read

Luckily neither the driver nor any spectators at the raceway in Pomona, California, were injured when Capps' car exploded during the National Hot Rod Association 2014 Winternationals on Friday.

A backfire in the supercharger occurred as Capps was pushing his Napa Auto Parts Funny Car up to 300mph (482km/h), resulting in a massive fireball and the rear of the car exploding off.

The close-up view shows him seemingly stunned and blinking immediately after the explosion, but he was helped from the car and was able to walk away.

"At first you're not sure what exactly is going on. All of a sudden, the race car you're driving is a convertible, and you see sky and flames and pieces flying," Capps told ABC News in the US. "It sort of takes you a minute to figure out where you're at. I thought... where am I? Then all these safety trucks start rolling up."

Capps has also indicated that while the car's body was destroyed, the engine and frame suffered only minor damage and are already being prepared for his next race event.

Watch the desktop version of the Ron Capps drag race explosion video here.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Karla Pincott is the former Editor of CarsGuide who has decades of experience in the automotive field. She is an all-round automotive expert who specialises in design, and has an eye for anything whacky.
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