Elliott Sadler crashed and destroyed his car at Pocono Raceway at Sunday’s NASCAR race in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. He climbed out of the wreckage feeling sore, but was otherwise not seriously injured.
On Lap 165, Jimmie Johnson tried to bump draft Kurt Busch’s No. 2 Dodge as they approached Turn 2, but the Dodge turned sideways. After twice turning across the front of Clinton Boyer’s No. 33 Chevrolet, Busch’s car spun and slammed into the wall, dragging Sadler’s No. 19 Ford along for the ride.
Sadler’s car crashed headfirst into an inside wall that was unprotected by the SAFER barrier—sometimes known as a soft wall—that is present for most areas of a track.
The impact ripped Sadler’s entire engine out of his vehicle. The racer climbed out of the wreckage of his car in obvious pain and immediately lay down on the pavement as safety workers approached him, according to NASCAR’s website.
“I’m OK,” he said after being released from the infield care center. “I’m a little sore. The breath definitely got knocked out of me. It was probably the hardest hit I’ve ever had in a race car, but I’ve got to thank all my guys back at home that put these things together. I’m still in one piece, so it did its job.”
After the crash, Johnson came on the radio and took responsibility for the crash, initiated by his attempt to bump draft Busch.
The crash caused the race to be red-flagged for a second time. The debris of the crash took almost 29 minutes to clear.
On Lap 165, Jimmie Johnson tried to bump draft Kurt Busch’s No. 2 Dodge as they approached Turn 2, but the Dodge turned sideways. After twice turning across the front of Clinton Boyer’s No. 33 Chevrolet, Busch’s car spun and slammed into the wall, dragging Sadler’s No. 19 Ford along for the ride.
Sadler’s car crashed headfirst into an inside wall that was unprotected by the SAFER barrier—sometimes known as a soft wall—that is present for most areas of a track.
The impact ripped Sadler’s entire engine out of his vehicle. The racer climbed out of the wreckage of his car in obvious pain and immediately lay down on the pavement as safety workers approached him, according to NASCAR’s website.
“I’m OK,” he said after being released from the infield care center. “I’m a little sore. The breath definitely got knocked out of me. It was probably the hardest hit I’ve ever had in a race car, but I’ve got to thank all my guys back at home that put these things together. I’m still in one piece, so it did its job.”
After the crash, Johnson came on the radio and took responsibility for the crash, initiated by his attempt to bump draft Busch.
The crash caused the race to be red-flagged for a second time. The debris of the crash took almost 29 minutes to clear.
