I get the impression he got the shot, and is getting the hell out of there before he has to try and catch some other sprint car trying to avoid the one flipping.
Those cars look to be from well back in the day. Looks like the mid-70's or so judging by the roll cage construction.
I was born just a few miles from that race track. The sprint car races were a highlight of the Mid-Winter fair in Imperial, California.
Heck. I might have been in the grandstands that day watching the action.