During the NASCAR Xfinity Series practice session at a Chicago racetrack, drivers Justin Allgaier and Alon Day became the central figures of a mishap under the yellow caution flag. The event unfolded when Allgaier, following an earlier collision with a tire barrier, found himself stationary for a tense 21 seconds. During this pause, Alon Day, making a return to the NASCAR national series for the first time since 2016, collided at high speed into the rear of Allgaier’s static car.
Day had been navigating the course unaware of the hazard ahead. After the accident, he revealed to the media, notably perturbed, as quoted by On3.com:
“When I came there I mean on my side I couldn’t hear anything.”
The lack of clear communication from his spotters left him blindsided, leading to the crash that not only incapacitated his car but also forced Alpha Prime Racing to withdraw from the event due to the absence of a backup car.
Allgaier, forced into a backup car, later detailed his ordeal and the decision-making in those critical moments. Allgaier’s vehicle was vulnerable; he was aware that other competitors were still racing close by. He commented:
“It’s such a treacherous spot there. Fortunately, I pride myself in not having to go to a backup car very often. Really hate it for everybody on this seven team, I mean the guys did an amazing job. I was sitting there and honestly thought we were going to be just fine and you see the aftermath. I think we could have maybe fixed the car after the first damage but not anymore.”
James Gilbert/Getty Images
He continued:
“My guys were giving me an update on how many cars were still coming. So I knew there were cars still coming that’s why I didn’t reverse out of the tire barrier. At that moment it’s kind of a really bad, vulnerable spot. I didn’t want to reverse, unfortunately, there’s people in that corner, that’s actually right in front of the spotters’ stand.
“I’m disappointed, I know that ended his weekend, the last thing he wants to do is hit me, right? That’s not what he wants to do it’s just lack of communication, unfortunately. Probably took a racecar that was maybe fixable and took it out of the race, it definitely took them out of the race. At least we have a backup car we’ll be able to work on our stuff and get better, but just hate that we put our guys behind that far starting the weekend it’s not ideal.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.