Dillon recounted the lead-up to the crash before he launched into the air, struck the catch fencing and landed upside down on the track, where he was finally collected by Brad Keselowski.
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He hit the fence so hard, that there was nearly nothing left of his auto. Soft walls need to be installed at 100% of racetracks, at all locations, more asphalt needs to be laid down at certain tracks, and fences need to have some extra support for fans.
“Whoever is in that window, if he’s OK, do not touch him”.
Whitlock said an eerie silence followed the crash as fans around him stood in shock. Click to WATCH the terrifying crash.
“You are … on the verge of tears. Just praying for everybody and glad the good Lord looked out for me tonight”. I didn’t care about anything except figuring out who was OK. “I mean, the racing doesn’t matter anymore”.
In a race that was won by NASCAR veteran, Dale Earnhardt Jr, only three cars on track managed to avoid the high-speed pile-up. Dillon’s vehicle soared over two rows of cars in a barrel roll before finally hitting the catch fence. “We’re going to learn from it and see what else we can do to be better”, said Joie Chitwood, Daytona worldwide Speedway president.
Chitwood said four more fans in the grandstands were treated and released on property.
Austin Dillon doesn’t blame the track for his violent wreck in the early-morning hours on Monday at Daytona global Speedway.
“”I am just going to be really sore; it got my tailbone pretty good and my arm”, he said. It’s part of this racing”, Dillon said.
“It’s not really acceptable, I don’t think”, Dillon said. Thirty-eight years later I’ve seen a lot of bad accidents, and far too many deaths, since. Check out the grouping before this crash on YouTube and then remember that the average speed of the race victor – which, ironically, was Dale Earnhardt Jr. – was almost 135 miles per hour, and that the slightest bump can cause a chain reaction.
According to a report from Bob Pockrass of ESPN, Matt Morgan a high-powered attorney in Florida has confirmed that he has taken on the cases of two Daytona fans who were injured at the track.
Although he did not give a specific amount, Morgan said his clients are seeking damages that would cover any current and future medical expenses from injuries sustained in the crash.
They also stopped by the NBC studio to help the network fill air time in its first race broadcasting NASCAR since 2006.
The wreck started after Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick made contact as they crossed the finish line behind Earnhardt.
Tony Stewart, victor of the similarly-delayed 2005 race that ended at 1:42 a.m., grumbled into his radio as he passed the carnage at the end of this morning’s finish.
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Dillon is thanking his lucky stars that the outcome was not much worse.
