Veteran NHRA Pro Stock driver Tommy Lee was unhurt Saturday afternoon at Tennessee’s Bristol Dragway following a crash into the safety netting at the end of the quarter-mile course.

The accident happened during the third of four qualifying sessions at the Fitzgerald USA Thunder Valley Nationals. Lee had clocked a 195-mph speed on the run.

“I got on the brakes, and the brakes just didn’t seem to do nothing,” Lee said after climbing from the car on his own power. “I’ve stopped many times without ‘chutes.”

He said, “I knew it was going to hurt, especially when I saw the catch net coming up. Thank God the catch net was there and the safety the NHRA does and I was able to walk away.”

Lee’s Alan Rose Chevy Camaro gave him some trouble from the launch. It lurched to the right, but Lee was able to corral it for the remainder of the run. But his parachute failed to deploy, and he blasted into the sand trap at a high rate of speed. The car slammed into the protective netting, crunching the nose of the car and lifting the Camaro’s front end into the air before slamming it back down.

Action was delayed for more than 45 minutes, including a half-hour to repair damage to the net.