Shane McAlary from Street Outlaws was involved in a car accident in June 2016. The crash destroyed the car but Shane survived.
McAlary is an experienced second-generation racer popularly known as the cast member of Discovery’s reality series Street Outlaws. Initially, the racer drove a 1977 Chevy Vega, also called The Blackbird.
And while he may not have gained as big of a fan following as many other cast members of the series, people with good knowledge of cars and race consider him a favorite or at least value his skills.
He was an absolute animal in the tracks, showing his extensive racing skills, where he raced his Chevrolet against mountain motor Pro Mods and amassed victory most of the time.
The Elk City, Oklahoma native began his racing career at a young age. His father, Rex McAlary, the first generation racer in the family, influenced him to pursue a career as a professional racer. Shane’s first street car was an old Blazer.
What Happened To Shane From Street Outlaws?
Shane McAlary from Street Outlaws had a severe car crash while driving on the No Prep Kings strip in Sayre, Oklahoma, in late June 2016.
The accident destroyed the racing car and resulted in an air ambulance flight costing around $40,000.
Thankfully, both McAlary and his driving partner, Bob, were alright and survived in reasonably good nick.
McAlary suffered a concussion, and Bob broke his leg, among other minor injuries. He and his dad theorized that a rod end snapped on the Vega’s third member locating the wishbone.
The car then violently yawed into a gut-wrenching series of flips at over 150 mph. The accident was a huge setback for McAlary and his dad financially over all aspects.
Street Outlaws fans may know that McAlarys own Mcalary ATV & Cycle in their hometown, El City. Their small ATV and motorcycle dealership lie in a high-plain city of only 12,000 residents -and it was already expensive enough.
After incurring the physical trauma and medical expenses, nobody would blame him had he decided not to return to the tracks anytime soon. However, they only took a month off, Rex stated.
McAlary and his dad soon started searching for another car and found another Vega, a 1974 model.
With help from their many friends, they built a completely new car, Blackbird Chevrolet Vega 2.0, in only a couple of months, starting in August 2016. Still, marriage and family responsibilities kept him from returning to the tracks.
He finally decided to make his grand return one year later in 2017. But within a few months after his return, he experienced another crash in August 2017.
He was racing in a semi-final elimination round at the Briston Dragaway when he lost control and collided against the wall multiple times.
Fortunately, McAlary walked off from the crash with no injuries and it wasn’t financially draining as the last time.
Where Is Shane McAlary Now?
McAlary currently dedicates his time to his shop. He is also active on Instagram where he often shares about cars and his work at the shop.
His absence from the Street Outlaws has made many fans wonder what was keeping him busy these days.
They fear that the racer has really quit the popular Discovery Channel show.
Apparently, during a race against Jeff Lutz, his Blackbird made a hard hit on the curb and rolled several times before finally stopping on the field. Though he was unharmed, his Vega was wrecked.
McAlary then announced he was done racing and said he was broke and his small business could not afford him to build another racing car.
Some suppose he said that because he was frustrated with how things turned out.
He had been in the 10th position for quite a long time and was desperate to move back to the 6th place he held before or even higher.
Others believed he had a reality check that he accepted. Indeed, he wasn’t drawn out for this occurred in 2019 but the video clip was aired in 2021 as the production was halted for a year due to Covid.
A devoted family man, McAlary now gives much focus to his family and business. Well, he is still a car racer and has recently posted a short clip of his old car (the red one) on Instagram.
Fans are hopeful that Shane will make a grand comeback shortly. They are prepared to be patient, wait, and see what comes next.
His Journey In The Street Outlaws
McAlary made his debut on Street Outlaws in Season 6 in 2015 alongside his co-driver, Bob. His close friend, Shawn Ellington, had invited him to the reality series.
He wasted no time proving his ability and raced with the 1977 Chevy Vega (The Blackbird) for several seasons. He later drove a 1974 Chevrolet Vega and held the sixth position on The List for a long time.
Unfortunately, his luck completely ran out in June 2016, when he had a serious accident on the No Prep Kings strip.
It took him nearly a year to come back with his new racing car in 2017.
Within a few months of the return, he experienced yet another crash but with no injuries and less financial damage. His vega was damaged with the front clip beyond repair and severe damage to the roof.
Following the crash, he still participated in street racing whenever he got a chance. In 2017, with no production crew from the channel to film the event, he went up against Jerry Bird for the final with $15,000 at stake.
Both parties were unknown that police cars were waiting near the finish line, as street racing was illegal.
No matter how much the team remained secretive about those who are engaged in it, they could do nothing if someone saw them by any chance.
This time a truck driver bragged about it on his radio before McAlary’s Blackbird and Jerry’s Probe could cross the finish line.
The former, driving in the left lane, was stopped by the cops as he was driving straight toward them.
McAlary managed to put on the brakes and slowly exited the main road.