Youtuber Emelia Hartford and her vicious Corvette C8 have become talking points within the car community as of late. Hartford and her eighth-generation ’Vette have been partners through thick and thin – perhaps most notably when its engine blew up under the sheer pressure of the twin turbos. Now though, the Chevrolet has been revived from the embers as ‘Phoenix,’ one of the fastest C8s on the planet.

Four months into 2021, Hartford decided to head to Las Vegas with Phoenix and a 1500 hp Buick Regal (previously owned by her grandmother) named “Mimi” to do a few runs at LS Fest West, an event dedicated to LS and LT V8-powered beasts. While confident that her 2500 hp convoy would cause a scene, things didn’t quite go to plan.

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Day one came to nothing as strong crosswinds deemed it unsafe to race, forcing the organizers to suspend racing. On day two, Hartford and “Mimi” were able to catch a couple of runs on the strip, and the twin-turbo Buick achieved its best time of 11.47 seconds. Granted, nowhere near as fast as the C8, but respectable nonetheless.

When Phoenix took the stage, it all went wrong. You see, this strip in Las Vegas is NHRA–certified, meaning that cars that can complete the drag strip in under 10 seconds require a roll-cage, harness, and special license to be legal. Having been previously flagged, Hartford was permitted to run so long as she kept the timing over ten seconds.

Having turned things down and limiting boost, that was the plan. But as the double-snail’d ’Vette flew past the finish line, the timing board read 9.71 seconds. Understandably, the officials weren’t amused, and Hartford and Phoenix were disqualified and banished from the event. While we suspect there may have been some stern words from the marshals, there are probably worse ways to leave a track than being disqualified for being too fast.