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A Mustang called Snot Rocket was badly damaged during a high-speed run at Bradenton Motorsports Park after a metal tool apparently fell from its engine bay and struck the left-rear wheel area. Driver Brett LaSala got out of the car without reported injury, and his team said it planned to repair the car for the World Cup Finals.
A Mustang drag car called Snot Rocket suffered extensive left-rear damage during a run at more than 200 mph at Bradenton Motorsports Park after a metal tool apparently dropped from its engine bay and was thrown into the rear wheel area. Driver Brett LaSala kept the car out of the wall and exited on his own, according to The Drive’s report on the incident.
Video of the run shows the Mustang racing a silver C5 Corvette. The Drive reported that a chrome bar appears to fall from the Mustang shortly before its left-rear quarter breaks apart. The rear tire appears to send the object into the wheel well, after which the damage takes in the wheel and bodywork, along with the door latch. The exact tool was not identified; the report described it as possibly a ratchet handle or breaker bar.
LaSala steered the damaged car down the track as it slowed, avoiding the wall. The Drive reported that the car still recorded a speed above 212 mph during the incident. LaSala got out without assistance immediately afterward, according to the report; it did not describe any injuries.
The crash happened late in the weekend. Before it, LaSala had set a stick-shift record with a reported pass of 6.458 seconds at 233.44 mph. The team’s co-owner, Doug Cook, said the tool was the likely cause but did not say who may have left it in the engine bay.
A Loose Tool at Racing Speed
The incident shows how an unsecured object can become a serious hazard when a car is moving at drag-racing speeds. In this case, the apparent sequence in the video links a tool falling onto the track with the Mustang’s rear wheel and bodywork being torn apart. The damage was concentrated at the left-rear corner, but the car was still traveling at more than 200 mph when LaSala had to manage it.
LaSala’s ability to keep the car off the wall limited the consequences described in the report. The crash also raises practical questions about pre-run checks and how teams account for tools after working in a race car’s engine bay. The report does not establish how the tool was missed or identify an individual responsible, so it cannot support conclusions about a specific team member’s actions.
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Record Run Before the Crash
Snot Rocket is a modified Mustang that competes in drag racing. A drag-strip pass takes place over a short, prepared lane, with cars accelerating from a standing start toward the finish line, or “traps.” The Drive’s account places the incident a few hundred feet before the traps, during a run against a C5 Corvette.
The crash came after LaSala’s reported 6.458-second, 233.44-mph stick-shift pass earlier in the same weekend. That result was separate from the damaged run and does not indicate the speed at which the crash began. The team was aiming to have the car ready for the World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway, which the report said was about a month away at the time.
““That’s a loser mentality to focus on that. We are a team.””
— Doug Cook, team co-owner, in a Facebook post, as quoted by The Drive
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Cause and Repair Details Pending
The available account identifies a tool as the likely cause, based on video and Cook’s comments, but it does not confirm whether the object was a ratchet handle, breaker bar or another tool. The report does not explain exactly how it reached the rear wheel, provide a technical inspection, or identify who left it in the engine bay. It also does not give a repair estimate or confirm that the car has since been rebuilt.
The report says LaSala got out on his own and describes no injury, but it does not include a separate statement from medical personnel or event officials. The car’s condition and the team’s preparation for its next event may have changed since the report was published.
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Team Targets Maryland Finals
The team said it intended to repair Snot Rocket for the World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway, with about a month available, according to The Drive. That was a stated goal rather than confirmation that the car was repaired or entered for the event. No schedule for the repairs or update on the car’s current status was provided.
Further information from the team or event organizers could clarify the tool’s identity, the extent of the mechanical damage and whether LaSala returned to competition. Until then, the cause remains attributed to a tool that appears to have fallen from the engine bay, rather than a published technical finding.
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Key Questions
What caused the Mustang crash?
The Drive reported that video appears to show a metal tool falling from the engine bay and being thrown into the left-rear wheel area. Team co-owner Doug Cook said the tool was the likely culprit. The exact tool and sequence have not been confirmed through a technical investigation in the supplied report.
Was Brett LaSala injured?
The report says LaSala got out of the car on his own immediately after the incident and does not report an injury. It does not provide a separate medical or event-official statement.
How fast was the car going?
The Drive reported that the Mustang still recorded a speed of more than 212 mph during the incident. Earlier in the weekend, LaSala made a separate 6.458-second pass at 233.44 mph.
Will Snot Rocket race again?
The team intended to repair the Mustang for the World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway, which the report said was about a month away. The supplied information does not confirm that the repairs were completed or that the car competed.
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