Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins wild race at Daytona that ends with frightening crash

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 06: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet, celebrates with champagne in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 6, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 06:  Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet, celebrates with champagne in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 6, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 06: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet, celebrates with champagne in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 6, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the rain delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning. His victory celebration was a muted one however after a spectacular crash at the end of the race sent yet another car into the frontstretch catch fence and reportedly left three fans with minor injuries.

The crash happened as Earnhardt crossed the finish line being perused by teammate Jimmie Johnson.  Denny Hamlin close behind was being pushed by Kevin Harvick and spun. Hamlin’s car spun down and back up crashing into the car of Austin Dillon. The Dillon machine shot up from the bottom of the track into the air and into the catch fence; the car literally exploded and came to rest in a mangled mass of metal upside down. Almost immediately, crewmembers mainly from Earnhardt’s crew ran to the Dillon car and within moments, Dillon emerged from the remains of the car uninjured.  Track officials later said one fan had been hospitalized in stable condition, four others were treated on site, and eight declined treatment. Only three of the 27 cars on the lead lap escaped the accident.

“That scared the hell out of me, I will be honest with you,” Earnhardt said.MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.