Street Outlaws -- Drag Race Triggers Terrible Crash

One of the stars of "Street Outlaws" is lucky to be alive after he crashed his car in Oklahoma City Saturday night during a drag race ... and it was all part of the show.

Brian "Chucky" Davis was racing "Big Chief" -- aka Justin Shearer -- when his Fox-Body Mustang crossed over the center line and hit the back of Chief's '72 LeMans. The LeMans flipped over and ended up in a ditch.

Chief's in the hospital with an injured back, a dislocated shoulder and an injured lung .. and his L2 and L3 vertebrae are reportedly crushed.