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Daytona lately, has been the site of some of the most unusual moments in NASCAR history.
The pace car for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Sprint Unlimited suddenly burst into flames in Saturday night’s race. Thankfully, no one was injured.
According to USA Today, Chevrolet is still examining the car in Detroit. However, Chevy released a preliminary diagnosis on Thursday. Chevrolet Racing Marketer Jeff Chew told the media that a pinched wire caused the fire.
The midnight blue pace car only suffered minor fire damage, and Chew said the car could be reused.
NASCAR fans will always remember this infamous debacle, and thanks to technology, it will also live forever on YouTube. Let’s take a trip down memory land at some of the strangest moments in Daytona history.
The 2012 Daytona 500 had a couple firsts. It was the first time the Great American Race was run on a Monday night after rain postponed the event. It was also the first time we ever saw a jet dryer explode.
Juan Pablo Montoya made a pit stop under the seventh caution of the race. As he was trying to catch back up to the field for the restart, the track bar broke on his car, and sent him spinning out of control. Montoya’s car spun right into a working jet dryer. The impact created an enormous fireball, and the track caught on fire. The race would have to be delayed for a few hours to extinguish the flame and repair the track.
2. Dave Stacy Goes for a Swim:
Never saw this race, but watched this clip on YouTube. Back in the day, Daytona International Speedway had a dirt bank to separate the infield from the track instead of a wall and fence. Dave Stacy gave Daytona a reason to build a wall. Stacy spun, flipped over the barrier, and rolled right into the lake. No one was hurt.
No one expects a car that is only on the track. Once in a while, the sport shows that even the pace car is not safe from the mayhem of NASCAR. Fans have seen a pace car stolen, cut a tire, and now a pace car burst into flames.
4. Jimmy Spencer kicked out of victory lane:
A late-race crash forced NASCAR to do a video review to determine the winner of the Truck Series race at Daytona in 2005. Jimmy Spencer and Bobby Hamilton were side-by-side for the lead at the moment of caution. Spencer assumed he won the race and drove straight to victory lane. However, the video showed Hamilton in front of Spencer when the caution lights went on. NASCAR had to ask Mr. Spencer to leave, so the actual winner could celebrate in victory lane.
5. Sterling Marlin’s Desperation:
On a restart with five laps to go, Sterling Marlin dove under Jeff Gordon for the lead. Gordon tried to block and forced Marlin below the yellow line. Marlin came back up onto the track and spun Gordon. Marlin suffered damage from the incident, and the right front fender started rubbing the tire. A flat tire was inevitable. Under the red flag to clean up the wreckage, Marlin exited his car and started pulling the fender. According, to the NASCAR rulebook, teams are not allowed to work on their cars under the caution. Marlin was penalized, and Ward Burton would go on to win the race.
The Pace Car 