Ive broken two axles (before I wisened up and got a 9 inch for my thirdgen)
one of the occasions, the wheel and axle chunk came completely out.
It literally took about 2 minutes for one of the track wreckers to come, slide its lift under the car, slide whe wheel and axle in, and haul it off the track
the second time it happened, the wheel didnt come completely out, and we just rolled the car off the track taking care not to turn it in the direction that was pushing the wheel out of the housing.
For the record, this was on 16 inch wheels with drag radials
Just pointing out that sliding the axle back in is a viable option