Yeah, a hot rod and a diligent focus on all of the potential risks involved are pretty much divergent paths in my mind. If you're too worried about ultimate personal safety then you'll likely never get into the hot rod, and just think what you're missing!! Now that said, I'm a very safety conscious guy, with a focus on things like three point seat belts done right, attention to reasonable details for keeping body & frame together in an impact, etc, etc, but a hot rod is a beast that carries with it some level of risk, and one accepts the risk then he/she elects to ride or drive the hot rod.

Like Matthyj says, sometimes one must simply live life, and hopefully your prayers have paved the way for any problems that may spring up.....