Drag racer survives engine explosion

A drag racer has unbelievably survived having his car's engine explode in a high-speed competition in the US at the weekend.

At nearly 480km/h, when you watch the full-speed replay of what happened to Ron Capps in his NAPA Dodge Charger, it lasts only a split second.

But slow motion footage released of the mid-race mishap shows an incredibly close call as the engine combusts and blows the vehicle apart.

The explosion ignites a fire from the front of the car before Capps deploys the parachute and slowly comes to a halt.

It is hard to believe he was uninjured during the race at the Winternationals in Pomona, California.

He has enjoyed the attention on his Twitter account, boasting at the wide coverage of his sponsor thanks to the explosion video being played by media outlets.

Source: National Hot Rod Association, YouTube.