---
title: "Here’s What A 427-MPH Crash on the Bonneville Salt Flats Looks Like"
description: "The Bonneville Salt Flats in northern Utah have long called to those who seek to go as fast as humanly possible and etch their names into history. But every shot at eternal glory comes with an equal chance of disaster, and this past weekend's World of Speed event saw veteran driver Robert Dalton survive a terrifying rollover crash when a tire on his Hemi-powered Flashpoint Streamliner failed at 427 mph."
date: "2018-09-20"
modified: "2018-09-20"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/23726/heres-what-a-427-mph-crash-on-the-bonneville-salt-flats-looks-like"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Bonneville"
  - "Bonneville Salt Flats"
  - "Crash"
  - "Land Speed Record"
  - "streamliner"
  - "Utah"
---

# Here’s What A 427-MPH Crash on the Bonneville Salt Flats Looks Like

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/09/streamliner-crash.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The ethereal [Bonneville Salt Flats](<https://www.thedrive.com/motorcycles/23595/18-year-old-racer-breaks-speed-record-on-modified-royal-enfield-continental-gt-650>) in northern Utah have long called to those who seek to go as fast as humanly possible and etch their names into history. But every shot at [eternal glory](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/23657/a-wheel-driven-car-set-a-483-mile-per-hour-record-at-bonneville>) comes with an equal chance of disaster, and this past weekend's World of Speed event saw veteran driver Robert Dalton survive a terrifying rollover crash when a tire on his Hemi-powered [Flashpoint Streamliner](<https://bangshift.com/general-news/event-coverage/land-speed-races/the-underdogs-can-they-knock-out-the-speed-demon-or-will-they-be-its-next-victim/>) failed at 427 mph.

Dalton and his team logged an impressive 436 mph on their first run of the five-mile course on Sunday, though his exit speed of 451 mph (not counted in the official timing) actually exceeded the world record for a piston-powered, wheel driven vehicle [recently set by Danny Thompson.](<https://thompsonlsr.com/news/2018/8/12/speed-week-2018-the-worlds-fastest-piston-powered-car>) During the second pass—the two runs are performed in opposite directions and averaged out for a final, on-the-books number—the streamliner's left rear tire suffered an explosive blowout at over half the speed of sound.

It's almost impossible to imagine the feeling of losing control in that moment. The race team [shared eyewitness video of the crash](<https://www.facebook.com/william.freudiger.5/videos/1813762112012867/>) on its Facebook page; at 2:05, the visible blowout sends the vehicle spinning then rolling as it skips across the salt like a stone on a flat lake.

![message-editor%2F1537476447466-41934105\_1012520862252673\_5493115832730910720\_n.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1537476447466-41934105_1012520862252673_5493115832730910720_n.jpg>)
**Facebook | Flashpoint Streamliner**

Sheet metal peels off the tumbling streamliner at an alarming rate while the nitromethane-fueled engine can be heard sputtering away. The trail of wreckage reportedly stretched for well over a mile.

![message-editor%2F1537476380705-dalton.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1537476380705-dalton.jpg>)
**Facebook | Flashpoint Streamliner**

Incredibly, Dalton was completely uninjured, and photos show that the rollcage, cabin, and chassis of the Flashpoint Streamliner held up perfectly in the violent crash. [One shot](<https://www.facebook.com/Flashpoint7800/posts/1012034195634673?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDIqPG5vzQgGcoQ6BlBEB4HP6HefHO6SQmMbgXDNqvZnl5ibzIe2e43BTASyJhCnr6Bkt93Jl_g1_qUuGWY_XSBo6VqX-ha6RKE1r3HMT4eoqSjqGa96HiSAWw_VtB7ih6Z5ql4ZndJGi-CTgT8lGOoizoEPgv_-MGxd_s4IxfrifGIQsS2vg&__tn__=-R>) has Dalton posing like a true badass next to the car that brought him close to death but ultimately saved his life. "Bob said he wanted to make some changes to the way the body attached to the car anyway," [a post on the team's page reads.](<https://www.facebook.com/Flashpoint7800/posts/1012521075585985?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCPB5gGQZmiA3cD4pvfVd5xe4piZrmMQwqlLm58laJShAETE5ZqkJsQV_sdRDwfEjvl7V5DV5wJraHvAduIgenq2RqDJkK7sXKj-Ccpo9BZ_IzO0JJGwSt3Ua-W2oB-Uaa9YewS9OrYHMWIA1Vb-oXCvJ0dvV5k0cZXBV4aP2gy3yy5mpu4Hg&__tn__=-R>)

We'd be far less composed after surviving something like that, but the man's been at this for decades and chances are a little tumble at Mach 0.56 won't stop him.

![message-editor%2F1537476312526-streamlinerold.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1537476312526-streamlinerold.jpg>)
**Facebook | Flashpoint Streamliner**

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)