Jimmie Johnson, who finished second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt, said Dillon’s wreck was one of the worst he’s ever seen. Fortunately for us we’ve gotten better and safer in the last 100 years. But as his competitors followed behind, a bit of contact between those trailing behind sent Austin’s vehicle shooting upward.
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Some debris made it through the fence. The car’s engine landed in the tri-oval grass.
Dillon was seen and released in Daytona’s infield care center and said he had a bruised arm and tailbone. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole position for the fastest practice time. “I think everything did its job there”.
“… I was just very scared for whomever it was. The racing doesn’t matter anymore”.
Two fans who were injured in a fiery crash at the Coke Zero 400 have hired an attorney to represent them, attorney Matt Morgan said Tuesday.
France deflected the post-race criticism from driver Ryan Newman, who told a media outlet “they (NASCAR) just don’t pay attention to safety”. Dillon’s vehicle was launched through the air in the midst of the chaos, hitting the catchfence. “It’s a risky sport”, NASCAR spokesman Brett Jewkes said. It always will be.
“You are just on the verge of tears”, Earnhardt said. Seven cars were knocked out of the race before the checkered flag waved. The incident was reminiscent of a crash in 2013 when Kyle Larson’s auto went flying into the grandstands, injuring 28 fans, on the day before the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt Jr. led a large group of cars four wide across the start-finish line.
The catch fence prevented tragedy, but 13 fans suffered minor injuries from flying debris. “What we do want is the closest, tightest racing we can, but we put safety at the top of the list for obvious reasons”.
“This isn’t the first time that has happened here”, said Joey Logano, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, “and it is just dumb that we allow it to happen more than once”. Part of the project is a remodeling of the grandstands. Upon entering the facility, fans must go up escalators or steps to the middle level and walk down to their seats.
“That catch-fence was just gone, it was just this huge hole”, said Mr. Schellhase. Drivers were visibly shaken after seeing the accident, although Dillon appeared calm. By the fourth one, you know you’ve separated enough where your fourth one is going to hurt more than others.
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“It’s not really acceptable I don’t think”. The project will include replacing the entire catch fence. “When the vehicle flips over, you know it’s about to be a rough ride”. “The fence held up”. “But I didn’t have any helping getting through [Turns] 1 and 2, lost control of my lane, and Junior was so strong all night. And even then, there’s no guarantees”.
