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Unexpected Drama During Race at Phoenix Raceway

As Stage 1 concluded, the drivers made their way down pit road, with Joey Logano holding the lead both in the race and the championship standings. While the pit stops were conducted without issue, an unusual event was about to unfold.

The official Toyota Camry pace car was preparing to guide the pack back to the restart at the beginning of the second stage when a critical error occurred. In a moment of misjudgment, the pace car veered off course, missing its turn onto pit road and suddenly cut across the front of Chase Elliott, the newly designated race leader.

This late maneuver resulted in the pace car striking the barrels at the entrance to pit road, leading to a chaotic spin. Following the incident, the damaged pace car exited behind the wall, prompting the race officials to call in a replacement.

The situation escalated to the point where the race could not continue, and a red flag was issued on Lap 69 of a scheduled 312. Crews swiftly began the cleanup process, attending to the scattered sand barrels, but the interruption was brief and lasted only a few minutes.

In a moment of humor amidst the unexpected mishap, driver Ryan Blaney quipped, “Was that Michael Phelps?” in reference to the legendary Olympian who served as the honorary pace car driver at the race’s start. Despite Phelps’ initial presence, he was not behind the wheel during the incident.

Logano shared a laugh about the event, while fellow competitor Denny Hamlin remarked, “This is just so NASCAR.” Meanwhile, Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Elliott, made light of the situation by suggesting that the pace car was covered under the damaged-vehicle policy, humorously noting it had six minutes for repairs as the rest of the field enjoyed a laugh at the bizarre occurrence. This provided a moment of levity in what was otherwise a high-stakes championship race.

While unconfirmed, it is speculated that the error may have stemmed from the unique layout at Phoenix Raceway. Due to alterations made to the track, the pace car is now required to pull off at the exit of Turn 2 rather than Turn 4, which could have contributed to the mix-up.

Source
www.motorsport.com