8 March 2013
Rookie driver Kyle Larson’s car hurtles into the grandstands on the Daytona 500 track.
by Chase Ballard, Sports Writer
DAYTONA: An alarming accident occurred during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series on February 23, hurling a car through the fencing, leaving at least 28 spectators injured.
Multiple cars were pushing for top positions at speeds of nearly 175 mph on the last curve when the cars became caught in a melee, propelling rookie Kyle Larson’s car up into the fencing of the grandstands. Some of the debris cleared the 22-foot fence, causing shrapnel to shower the spectators. However, the greater concern was the scorching engine and multiple tires that reached the grandstands when the fence was torn apart by the car.
Amazingly, Larson walked away from the crash despite the fact that nearly half of his number 32 car was gone. He, along with the other nine drivers involved, was checked for injuries at the infield medical tent and released.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the injured spectators, as 14 of the fans were transported to area hospitals and 14 were treated on-site at the infield medical tent. Additional people may have been injured, but their injuries were minor. Two spectators admitted to Halifax Health Medical Center were in critical condition; one was a child, and the other an adult suffering a life-threatening head injury. Their conditions did improve, and no fatalities occurred.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with our race fans,” Speedway president Joie Chitwood said. “We responded appropriately according to our safety protocols and had emergency medical personnel at the incident immediately.”
The track fencing was repaired overnight, and despite all of the chaos and injury, the Daytona 500 took place in the following day February 24.
photo courtesy of autoblog.com