Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series outing at Daytona International Speedway came to an early end after he suffered an engine failure during the second stage.
The Kiwi had avoided several earlier incidents and ran in the top ten mid-race, only to drop back before his engine spectacularly erupted in a plume of smoke.
At the same time, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. suffered punctures, leading Kaulig Racing to initially believe “something went through the radiator as parts and pieces were flying off the 43 car ahead of him,” as posted on X.
Commentators quickly dismissed this theory as unlikely, with the timing coincidental.
Kaulig Racing has since doubled down on its claim that a bolt through the radiator was the likely cause.
Van Gisbergen’s engine failure was just one of several spectacular incidents that filled a dramatic race in Daytona.
In addition to an early fire on Daniel Suarez’s car, there was also a Stage 2 incident involving 17 vehicles.
Ross Chastain, who was running eighth, was turned in front of the field, and a large portion of the pack, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, and Tyler Reddick, amongst others, was caught out.
Van Gisbergen had climbed to seventh before the crash and subsequently avoided the drama.
Two further late crashes resulted in blow-overs, leading to an extended caution and a late red flag before a sprint to the flag.
The first of those came on Lap 153 when Michael McDowell was turned in front of the field from the lead in Turn 1. He was launched into the air but landed on his wheels.
Josh Berry wasn’t quite so lucky on Lap 160, flipping onto his roof from the lead and sliding upside down into the inside wall at pace.
He was unhurt in the crash, which brought a seven-minute red flag.
Harrison Burton went on to win his first race in his 98th start, with the victory also the 100th of Wood Brothers Racing, of whom Burton departs at the end of the season.
“I don’t know! I cried the whole victory lap,” he said during the post-race interview.
“Obviously, I got fired from this job. I wanted to do everything I could for the Wood Brothers. They’ve given me an amazing opportunity in life. To get them 100 (wins) on my way out, it’s amazing. We’re in the playoffs now!”
“It’s amazing. It’s been the hardest three years of my life. Obviously the hardest three years for some of these guys’ lives. To win in the way we just did, to beat the best in the business, Kyle Busch, across the line. It’s pretty fantastic.”
Busch followed home Burton in second, with Christopher Bell completing the top three.
