Earnhardt Jr. Causes Big Wreck During Daytona Testing [Video]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started a big wreck at the Daytona today.

The crash took 12 cars off the track and essentially shut down testing at the Daytona International Speedway

Earnhardt said:

”It was a big mess and tore up a lot of cars down here trying to work on their stuff. Definitely the drafting is not like it used to be. You can’t really tandem certain cars; certain cars don’t match up well.”

According to ESPN, Earnhardt was trying to bump draft with Marcus Ambrose. The popular driver’s car lifted Amrose’s vehicle off the track and slammed it into the wall. The incident would cause another 10 cars to fly off the track.

Jeff Gordon, Kasey Khahne, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and defending Spring Cup champion Brad Keselowski were all involved in the crash. No one was hurt in the crash but the damaged vehicles forced several teams to pack it in for the weekend.

Sports Illustrated notes that several manufactures are using cars this year with less downforce. The front bumpber of Earnhardt’s car tucked under Amrose’s vehicle and lifted it “like a forklift.”

Gordon said that the new vehicles will force some drivers to change their techniques.

Gordon said:

“You can’t push, which I think is a good thing. The bad thing is you can still get to the guy’s bumper, but the cars just don’t line up very well. … It’s something that is going to have to be dealt with very carefully. You are going to have to be cautious when you do it and do it with the right guys, but most of the time you’re going to need to stay away from it. That is certainly something we learned.”

Here’s a video of Earnhardt Jr.’s big crash.