--- title: "It’s Getting Crazy in the Canyons" date: "2026-07-29" modified: "2026-07-29" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/theres-a-debate-raging-on-americas-best-driving-roads" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # It’s Getting Crazy in the Canyons ![A crashed Corvette and its owner posing with it, with their face obscured.]() *\The Drive via YouTube\* What's your limit for spirited driving on an open road? What lines—metaphorical and [literal]()—do you refuse to cross? Every enthusiast asks themself these questions when they go out for a high-speed jaunt, whether they're aware of it or not. There's no single code for canyon carvers, leaving each of us to define our own balance of aggression and safety. The result, too often, is a costly or, far worse, fatal mistake. That's exactly what [the latest video on *The Drive's* YouTube channel]() is about. Some drivers believe that roads like Angeles Crest, Tail of the Dragon, or whatever local ribbon of asphalt they frequent is their playground, because they've repeatedly demonstrated the skill to navigate it swiftly without incident. But just because you've never had a spill before doesn't mean you never will. That's called survivorship bias, and it's one of the problems with the belief that the open road belongs only to those who believe they're best equipped to tame it. At the start of the video, *The Drive* Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha recaps the beef between Evan Sawyer, a self-professed canyon carver, and Cort Wagner, a pro-am racing driver. Sawyer posted a video of himself standing inside a hairpin and flipping the bird at drivers for apexing and crossing the double yellows, who returned the kindness. One such driver was Wagner, who, let's just say, aligns less with Sawyer's mentality and more with the one described in the previous paragraph. ![]() *The Drive Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha looks on as sports cars pass by on Angeles Crest. *The Drive via YouTube** This debate has made the rounds in recent months, but it's, of course, much bigger than these two individuals. In this video, we ask some enthusiasts in the canyons about their limits—what they will and won't do, and why. The fact of the matter is that there's far more ordinary traffic in the world than there are wannabe (or legitimate) racers, and even on remote, disused highways, like Angeles Crest, you can never, *ever* be sure that such traffic isn't lurking around a bend, where you can't see it. The only place you can drive without such concern is, of course, the racetrack. And even if you took the potential harm to your fellow motorists out of the equation (you can't, but let's try for the sake of argument), the laissez-faire attitude of the freedom to die doing what you love doesn't count for much when the dying's done. Late last year, Vince Zampella, the creator of *Call of Duty*, killed himself and passenger Zachary Marks when the Ferrari 296 GTS he was driving struck the sharp edge of a concrete barrier on Angeles Crest exiting a tunnel. Zampella was no novice, but he still made a mistake anyone could make. ![]() **The Drive via YouTube** My favorite part of this video is hearing some of the enthusiasts we spoke to share their own rules of the road. Frankly, it's all smart advice to live by. "I never drive anywhere near the limit of the vehicle," one person said. "I drive, like, maybe 70% of my personal limit, because I know I'm going to be well under what the car can do, and I always leave room for gravel, unexpected things, corners, so I'm never really pushing the car." "You know, if you drive 10/10ths up here, then there's actually no room for error," was another driver's warning. But the last one really sums this all up the best: "If I get to live another day, come back here another day, that's a win." *Have any thoughts on safe, spirited driving? Watch the video, and let us know in the comments here or [on YouTube]().* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()