With only a few laps of Friday night’s Turkey Bowl at Vado Speedway in New Mexico to go, Sprint Car driver Anton Hernandez’s front suspension all but gave out. It looked like the race was over for him, but the man persevered and the challenge paid off.
It all started as Hernandez took an inside line to try and make a pass with a few laps left. Cutting the corner a little too close, he clipped one of the tires demarcating the track and that sent his inside front wheel dangling.
Most drivers would have called it a day after a mishap like that, but not Hernandez. Over the remaining laps, he managed to bring the fight and pulled off a daring win with one final overtake on the finish line.
EPIC! @AntonHernandez_ breaks his front suspension, loses the lead, regains it and wins the @POWRi_Racing Non-Wing 360 Sprint Car Feature @VadoSpeedway! #TurkeyBowl ???? pic.twitter.com/1TNaFaqtDO
— Speed Shift TV ???????? (@SpeedShiftTV) November 30, 2019
Of course, even for a driver with nerves of steel like Hernandez, this was quite the feat. Tweeting after the fact, this is what he had to say for himself:
The hardest thing in the world is taking a doodoo in your firesuit????????
— Anton Hernandez???? (@AntonHernandez_) December 1, 2019
Gross. really sums it up, but gross nonetheless. Still, you’ve gotta hand it to him for that save. Just really impressive driving. Way to go, Anton. Way to go.