There are, in fact, an infinite number of ways to lose a drag race, and considering that a race generally lasts mere seconds, there’s little opportunity to overcome a mistake as one might enjoy in other forms of auto racing. This means perfection is critical, but alas, things don’t always go according to plan, and sometimes, you just have to shake your head, dust yourself off, and carry on.

From mechanical woes to driver error and fluke occurrences (Pro Stock racer Kurt Johnson can attest to this one), the stories of how a racer has lost a drag race could fill a book.

Class racing standout Brad Zaskowski experienced one of those “are you kidding me?” moments last weekend at the IHRA CarSafe Northern Nitro Jam at the U.S. 131 Dragway in Michigan, when the steering wheel exited stage left right into his hands no sooner than he left the starting line in his G/CM ’69 Camaro.

Instinctually, Zaskowski kept his foot in the throttle as he he quickly put the steering wheel back onto the shaft. Despite the certain uneasiness of gaining speed with the only way to control the vehicle in his hands and not on the car, Zaskowski never lifted entirely off the throttle and almost ran down his opponent despite fiddling with the steering wheel the entire length of the race track. You’ll have to excuse the language after the run, but if you’re a racer, most likely you can relate to the frustration of the moment.