Your race car might be bad, but is it pull-a-power-wheelstand-on-ice-bad?

Perry Redeker is a familiar face at the Merrill (Wisconsin) Ice Drags, and in fact, is a board member of the unique organization that’s contested 1/8-mile drag races on a frozen-over section of the Wisconsin River for more than 50 years. Redeker competes in the quickest and fastest class at Merrill, known as Outlaw, with a nitrous oxide-assisted first-generation Mustang coined Nitemare II.

While not quite a nightmare (but with the potential to be one) Redeker took one of the wildest rides you’ll ever see on ice this past weekend, while competing against the blown alcohol dragster of Don Woller. Redeker’s machine, at somewhere in the vicinity of 125 mph and near the finish line traps, drove into a huge wheelstand reminiscent of those common in outlaw radial tire racing, stopping the clocks at 131 mph on the back tires and actually winning the race in the process.

While such a feat would be impossible with regular car tires on ice, the Merrill competitors use specially-designed, studded tires, and despite their fairly narrow width, are still able to provide an impressive level of traction for cars making horsepower in the several hundreds … as evidenced by Redeker’s low orbit flight.