This was Gary Gabelich's four-wheel-drive 'Vega Van' Funny Car and the shot was taken at Orange County International Raceway in 1972 during a special one-off event to show the car to the press. After saying he would just 'make some smoke' for the photographers, he couldn't resist keeping the pedal to the metal, lost control and ripped the car open on the strip's guardrail. He was very badly injured with a forearm torn off and many bones broken. This event marked an end to an amazingly successful career as Speed Record holder and drag racer, among other things. He died in 1984 in a road accident when his motorcycle crashed at high speed into a truck.
