Veteran racer Scott Palmer experienced a terrifying moment during round two of qualifying at the World Series of Pro Mod, suffering a violent crash. Despite the horrific visuals, Palmer climbed out under his own power and is already looking ahead to his next race.
Palmer was making his second qualifying attempt after his team had addressed an issue from the previous session. His M&M Transmission-equipped Pro Mod made a clean, smooth pass—one that Palmer and his crew, including Billy Stocklin and Jeff Pierce, could use as a baseline for improvement. But then, things took a dramatic turn.
“It made a nice, clean, smooth pass so we’d have something to work off of, but the throttle stuck. When the throttle stuck, I hit the chutes, and then I reached up to put it in neutral with my M&M transmission that Mark Micke gave me so I could be out here, and I just either didn’t get it in neutral, or it was just too far gone. I reached back to hit the chutes, I realized I didn’t push the lever far enough, so I hit them, and it was just too late by the time I got everything together,” Palmer explained.
Palmer’s car careened past the shutdown area and into the sand, flipping multiple times before coming to rest in the strawberry field beyond the track.
“I don’t know what happened there with the throttle sticking. We’ll try to figure that out, but there’s not really enough left of it to figure out. But, I’ll take the blame for the chutes not coming out early enough,” Palmer added.
Fortunately, his safety gear did its job.
“I’ll be sore for sure, but that strawberry field is super soft,” Palmer said, making light of the situation. “The safety equipment worked amazing—the DSP pour-in seat, the new Stroud neck restraint, everything. I could feel my head being held up the whole time. I never felt any kind of shock on my head whatsoever.”
Despite the wreckage, Palmer’s competitive spirit remains intact.
“I’ve already read on Facebook that maybe I should give up Pro Mod racing,” he said with a laugh. “I hope nobody thinks I will because I won’t. I’ll be back for sure.”
Palmer walked away from the crash with only a minor scratch on his hand—which, as he clarified, wasn’t even from the accident but from working on the car earlier in the day.
“The People’s Champion” expressed gratitude to his supporters, his crew, and the racing community that immediately checked on him.
“I just want to say thanks to everybody who’s reached out. I’ll be back.”
This story was originally published on February 27, 2025.
The post Scott Palmer Walks Away from Scary Crash at World Series of Pro Mod first appeared on Drag Illustrated.