Jerry Toliver went on a wild ride during Saturday’s first qualifying session during the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, Ca. The left rear tire sheared off the mounting studs, sending the tire down the track in the opposite lane as Toliver slid the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge to a stop just past the finish line. Jerry Toliver went on a wild ride during Saturday’s first qualifying session during the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, Ca. The left rear tire sheared off the mounting studs, sending the tire down the track in the opposite lane as Toliver slid the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge to a stop just past the finish line.

Toliver expertly kept his race car off the retaining wall and was unhurt in the incident. “The car left the starting line fine and was trucking down the track when it let go around the 330-foot mark. All of a sudden it just got hard to steer and it felt like the front end was up in the air a little bit. I turned it left and the car went right and I went right and it went left and I thought ‘we’ve got an issue here.’ Then I realized the rear of the car had dropped down and it was dragging the oil pan.

“I just tried to keep it in the middle of the race track and keep it off the wall and not hurt it worse than it already is. That’s why these cars need experienced drivers because things happen and when they do you’ve got to be ready to react to them.”