Video: dragster detonates at New England Nationals

We all know everything looks better in slow motion. Whether it’s people get splatted in the face with water balloons, or smashing slabs of jelly with tennis rackets, the more frames per second something is captured in, the better.

When you add the mad and sometimes explode-y world of drag racing into the mix, slow-mo comes into its own.

Recently, we showed you what happened when dragster pilot Doug Kalitta started drifting (something that’s definitely not meant to happen in this form of motorsport) down the strip in his Mac Tools Top Fuel Dragster. It was majestic. Today's vid however, is just plain terrifying.

At the eighth-mile mark during the third qualifying session at the recent New England Nationals at New England Dragway, Jack Beckman's Infinite Hero Dodge Charger exploded.

As you can see above, with fuel and fire throbbing out of the side pipes, all was going swimmingly, until… well, see for yourself. The engine detonates sending the composite bodywork flying, while the manifold and case of the supercharger are split clean in half.

Mercifully, Jack Beckman was unharmed, and walked away unscathed.