Pack racing is endemic to NASCAR’s runs at Talladega and Daytona. Because the tracks are so large and fast, NASCAR fits all the engines with a restrictor plate. It cuts off airflow to the engine and reduces horsepower.
It slows the speeds, but it also makes the cars run in these giant packs. And if one person makes a wrong move, it tends to take out the entire field.
In yesterday’s race at the 2.66 mile Talladega Super Speedway in Alabama, there were some awesome saves and basically no noticeable accidents, other than one driver acting kind of like a dick, for the first 188 laps. But lap 189 was a different story.
Three time champion Tony Stewart was leading the race and wanted to stay there. But when cars came up on both sides to pass in the last turn, he went for a block to the inside. It cost him and the whole field.
Stewart got turned and flipped onto his roof into the 30 or so cars that were behind him. What resulted was a 25 car crash that made the clean racing surface look like London in 1941. Cars were destroyed. There were fires. Ambulances were all over. Drivers were wandering the track looking for rides to the pits. It was anarchy.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt and they’ll be back to Talladega twice next year for more crashtastic action. Matt Kenseth survived the carnage and won the race.
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