Things that go bump in the garage

Crew members make repairs to the #2 Miller Lite Dodge after an incident in the garage during practcie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 14, 2012 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Crew members make repairs to the #2 Miller Lite Dodge after an incident in the garage during practcie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 14, 2012 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

JOLIET, Ill. — It happens every day on the highway but seldom in the Cup garage.

As Chase driver Brad Keselowski was exiting the garage area, a NASCAR official motioned for him to stop. Keselowski didn’t see the official right away and hit his brakes at the last second. Martin Truex Jr., who was following, couldn’t stop in time and rear-ended Keselowski’s No. 2 Dodge.

“Look at the back of my car, Joey,” Keselowski radioed to spotter Joey Meier. “How bad is it?”

“It’s (expletive) destroyed,” Meier replied. “Bring it back in.”

But the damage was more cosmetic than structural, and after repairs, the No. 2 team had Keselowski back on the track 15 minutes later.

Similarly, Truex’s team worked on the nose of his No. 56 Toyota and got the car back into racing shape. Truex had paced the opening practice session with a lap at 181.763 mph, more than a mile-an-hour faster than Earnhardt’s top speed.

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.