The Texas Mile has become the premiere proving grounds for speed. Held twice each year, this meet is where some of the top builders in the world come to test their latest creations. Most of the time on the mile things go normally, with vehicles making a clean pass.

However, the event is not without it’s drama, speed plays all manner of tricks with vehicles, especially those traveling over an extended distance. Aerodynamics is just one part of the equation, there’s also grip, and in the case of the parts on any vehicle, durability.

Texan Billy Wagner got to find out first hand what the Texas Mile can be like when things don’t go right. In this video from the guys over at Gearhead Flicks, Wagner’s 1,000 hp GT500 seems to be making a great run, in fact it does, likely topping 200 MPH on the runway, before something happens that will make any driver’s stomach drop and heart race.

As the GT500 crosses the finish line the driver (we’re assuming it’s Wagner) does what every car traveling these kinds of speeds does at the Texas Mile, he pulls the parachute. The problem here is that the parachute leaves the car as soon as it is deployed. Without the additional drag created by the parachute, the brakes are left to do all the slowing of the car, and it’s up to the driver to save his machine.

Smartly at the end of the track, Wagner puts the car into a skid and spin, the additional drag and sudden direction change at just the right time end up saving the car from running off the end of the runway.

This is just a reminder that while racing is exciting, fun, and a great experience, it is not without it’s dangers. The rest of the video plays the less dramatic runs that Wagner had at this event, and as usual it’s well filmed and edited by the Gearhead Flicks crew. Sit back, take in the drama, and enjoy the raging sounds of that 1,000 hp GT500.