Chevrolet releases statement on pace car fire at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Safety workers put out a fire on the pace car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15:  Safety workers put out a fire on the pace car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Safety workers put out a fire on the pace car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH FL. — A bizarre incident in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway added an unintended highlight to an event that saw several crashes that eliminated half the field.

During the final caution with less than 10 laps to go the pace car in front of the field, a Chevrolet SS, began to show smoke from the trunk area between turns 1 and 2. The vehicle immediately pulled down to infield grass exiting turn 2 and stopped. The two occupants including driver Brett Bodine a former racer who is now a NASCAR executive and the pace car driver, quickly exited the vehicle. Fire crews were soon on the scene and used fire extinguishers to put out a small fire in the trunk area.

Sunday morning Chevrolet released a statement indicating the cause of the fire seemed to be an electrical kit used to power the caution lights on the vehicle. 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.