The Daytona 500 is tomorrow, but today the NASCAR Nationwide Series ran what was supposed to be a quality preview of tomorrow by their Junior circuit.
That is exactly what was happening until the one of the final laps. At that point it is uncertain who caused the crash, but a major pileup took place causing several fiery wrecks according to the Big Lead.
It is unclear if anyone in the stands was seriously injured, but the engine from Kyle Larson’s car ended up in the stands, and a large portion of the car appeared to go over the fence.
Tony Stewart won the race and was uninjured by the wrecks, but was shaken by what he saw.
“We’ve always known since racing was started this was a dangerous sport, but we assume that risk, and it’s hard when the fans get caught up in it,” he said from Victory Lane. “So as much as we want to celebrate now and as much as this is a big deal to us, I’m more worried about the drivers and the fans in the stands right now, because I could see it all in the mirror, and it didn’t look good from where I was at, either.”
NASCAR officials said all drivers involved in the second massive wreck were treated and released.
After being treated at a local hospital and released, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said everyone “seems in good spirits” among the drivers who were in the care center, but Earnhardt expressed concern for those in the grandstands. “Guess some debris went up there,” he said. “I’m worried about everybody up there.”