Here is the exact moment in Sunday’s last NASCAR regular season race at Daytona when almost every vehicle crashed.
On the 22nd lap of the Coke Zero 400 Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the pileup claimed the lives of 13 vehicles just as a severe downpour was passing over the racetrack.
Austin Dillon, a competitor, escaped the tragedy unharmed and shot up from 16th to first. He went on to win the race and earn a spot in the NASCAR playoffs after a three-hour rain delay.
Many drivers blamed NASCAR authorities for letting the major collision to happen, claiming they had enough notice to postpone the race before it occurred.
Footage from the race showed the pack of cars racing in typical NASCAR formation when suddenly four racers at the front of the group simultaneously swerved out of control
On the 22nd lap of the Coke Zero 400 Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the pileup claimed the lives of 13 vehicles.
Four drivers in the head of the pack veered out of control at the same time in footage from the race, which showed the pack of vehicles racing in classic NASCAR configuration.
One of the leading vehicles drove out in front of the group, forcing a pair to forcefully slam into its side, while two of the leading vehicles collided into the barrier along the track.
Racers in the middle and rear of the pack scrambled to avoid crashes as the leading vehicles started to stack up on top of one other and slide down the course sideways.
As vehicles slammed on their brakes, swerved, and crashed with one another at a fast rate of speed, plumes of smoke rose from the blacktop.
The massive crash went down just as a severe rainstorm passed over the race course and soaked the track
As the leading cars began to pile up on top of each other and skid down the track sideways, racers in the middle and back of the pack tried to avoid collisions
Plumes of smoke billowed from the blacktop as cars slammed on their breaks, swerved, and collided with one another at high speed
According to The Charlotte Observer, Dillon’s automobile was one of the few to escape unharmed, and video from inside the vehicle showed him skillfully maneuvering through the mayhem as vehicles crashed around him.
Danny Hamlin, a competitor who was leading the field when he lost control of his car, said that the accident might have been avoided by race organizers.
When asked how the collision might have been averted, he said, “Better officiating, that’s all we can do. We’ll learn from this, I’m sure.”
Justin Haley concurred, claiming that despite drivers making numerous loops around the course as heavy rain fell, authorities did not declare a delay.
He said, “That was really unacceptable.” “They had nearly a full lap to call a caution and tore up a lot of racing cars,” he continued.
Racer Austin Dillon managed to slip through the carnage unscathed and he jumped from 16th place to first, then went on to win the race after a rain delay