Veteran no-prep racer Kayla Morton is regrouping after a scary crash at the Speed Promotions Racing season opener in Bakersfield, California left her car heavily damaged but fixable. The incident occurred during her semifinal-round pass in the “Beat The Champs” race-within-a-race at Famoso Raceway.

“I’ve watched the video a hundred times,” Morton says as she recounts the incident and walks through the wreckage of her multiple-time race-winning Ford Mustang. “Did I overdrive it? Maybe. There was a lot of dust on the track, it was a really nasty surface. It drove left really quickly after I dumped the gas, and there was just no time to do anything.”

Despite the impact and resulting fire, Morton walked away with only minor bumps and bruises. Her ProCharged Mustang sustained severe front-end damage, including a melted windshield, bent wheels, scorched wiring, and structural harm forward of the strut towers. Fortunately, the engine and ProCharger survived intact, and her team believes the chassis can be repaired without a full replacement. “It’s really a lot better than I anticipated,” she says.

The car is now headed to Wizard Race Cars in Louisiana for a front-half rebuild. Wiring repairs will follow, and support from sponsors like FuelTech, Race Star, and Stroud Safety is already in motion. Morton estimates she’ll miss only the next event in Virginia and aims to return for the Ohio event. “If I have it my way, that’s the only one I’ll be missing.”

To help fund the rebuild, Morton is launching a Burromax bike raffle and limited-run “comeback” shirts. Supporters can participate via her website, www.kayamorton.com. “We ain’t no quitters around here,” Morton says. “We made a turnaround and we’re going to go win us a championship.”

Though disappointed by the crash, Morton says she’s undeterred. “That’s what we do. We race cars, and we know that this can happen.”