Now the rest of the story.
When the car went through the lights the flex plate came apart. A 6" piece of the ring gear severed the front brake line. Doug had no brakes. The chute was out but the car was not slowing down. Doug then dropped the trans into 1st gear. He slowed the car using the transmission but he didn't feel safe just leaving it in 1st gear so he moved the shifter back and forth between 1st and drive. He made the final turn at over 30 MPH but he made it. We were extremely lucky to get away with this one. Doug is a brilliant driver or we could have lost the whole parade. Back in the pits we saw the extent of the damage. There was another piece of ring gear lodged into the rocker panel. There is a huge dent in the frame rail. The flex plate inself is being held together by the torque converter as it is shattered. I just ordered a new Meziere Pro Mod flex plate.