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BGN driver walks away from

MountaineerTom

By MountaineerTom
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MountaineerTom Senior Enthusiast

MountaineerTom

Posted
Posted

From Thatsracin.com

 

BTW, ESPN news has been showiing a replay of what happened, so I'm sure Sportscenter and all the other sports shows will be showing it too.  Amazing that he wasn't hurt.  Very similar to Micheal Waltrips wreck there many years ago when he drive the Country Time Lemonade/Kool-Aid Busch car, I think around '89-'90.

 

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BRISTOL, Tenn. - NASCAR Grand National series driver Mike Harmon was involved in adramatic crash 20 minutes into the start of Thursday's practice at Bristol Motor Speedway when his No. 44 Chevrolet hit the Turn 2 cross-over gate, where metal posts used to secure the gate were not in place.

When Harmon's car hit the gate, it gave way, and sheared the right side off the car, which then shot down the track and into the path of rookie Johnny Sauter, who was exiting Turn 2.

 

Neither Harmon nor Sauter was seriously injured. Harmon was treated at the speedway's infield care center for a bruise on his right side.

 

"It appears the Turn 2 gate was improperly secured," said Wayne Estes, the track's director of communications. NASCAR officials directed all questions about the incident and the gate to officials with Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

Harmon said something happened to his car in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, which sent him into the wall.

 

"I hit the wall and thought it was going to be a normal deal and suddenly I realized I was getting real close to the wall with my body," Harmon said.

 

"From there, the next thing I remember is the deal was over with. I looked up and the roll cage was cut in half. I didn't know if it was on fire or what. I just looked at the car and said, 'I'm just glad I survived.' "

 

Sauter had just started practice when the wreck happened. His team was penalized with a loss of 20 minutes of practice time because it was not on the starting grid on time at Michigan last week.

 

"We hurried up and made a mad dash on out there and I didn't really care who I was behind on the track."

 

"I just tried not to hit the driver's door," Sauter said. "That was the main thing. I think I kind of drove right through the car. It happened so fast. His car was just coming all down the track. I'm just glad I didn't hit him or even kill him."

 

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Elwood Senior Enthusiast

Elwood

Posted
Posted

I've seen it a couple times, and each time it looks worse.  I don't know how he survived, let alone got out with only a few bruises.  They said he returned for qualifying, but didn't make it, and he used a provisional.  I think I'll be rooting for him tonight.

hogger999 Enthusiast

hogger999

Posted
Posted

Kinda puts things into perspective when you see something like this and then a football or baseball player who thiks he's worth 90 mil. twists his ankle will lay on the ground for twenty minute's and then not play again for 6 months. Oh yeah I forgot drivers aren't really athletes   :angry:  

 

I remember when Mikey did the same thing and big brother Darrell said he "didn't know if I should go over to the car or not because I just knew that Mikey was dead, but then he thought well... I'm his brother and Mike would want me there."

"When I got to the car and looked through where they had already started cutting the roof away. I looked at Mikey and he was trying to get the car started" :ooh:

Kansas Kid Senior Enthusiast

Kansas Kid

Posted
Posted
but I'm sure the gate will be something NASCAR "will look into"

I'm not sure who's responsibility that gate is, but they better make #### sure that thing is secure from now on.  I know people can make mistakes, but that one could have got somebody killed.  Something like that should not be acceptable....

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