Five-Car Crash At Daytona Interrupts First Practice

A five-car crash at Daytona interrupted the NASCAR season’s first practice after just minutes. The practice is for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway.

The five-car pileup was caused by Matt Kenseth and forces three drivers to use their backup cars in the preseason race this weekend.

Kenseth admitted fault for the incident that involved him, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, and Juan Pablo Montoya, reports Fox News. The NASCAR driver stated:

“It was 100 percent my fault. I had no idea anybody was there.”

Kenseth came down on the track and hit Busch, whose car slammed into Daytona’s outside wall. Busch, Edwards, and Martin will have to use their backup cars for Saturday night’s 75-lap race. Kenseth and Montoya’s teams were able to repair their primary cars.

After the five-car crash, the rest of the Daytona practice session went on without incident. NASCAR is debuting the Generation-6 race car this weekend. The cars have seen extensive testing during the off season, notes The Sacramento Bee.

Drivers and teams have been pleased with the new car, including the fact that it looks more like its street counterpart than the last generation, called the Car of Tomorrow. A multi-car wreck took place in January at Daytona when teams were testing out the new car.

Twelve of the 18 cars testing in the pack at the time were involved in the accident. Drivers also noticed a significant difference in how the new cars handle. The cars competing will be the Chevrolet SS, the Ford Fusion, and the Toyota Camry. Chevrolet plans to debut the street version of its SS before Saturday’s race.

The five-car pileup at Daytona also lends a warning to drivers on Saturday. The track is known for creating “The Big One” at every race. Last year’s big one was caused when Juan Pablo Montoya ran into a jet dryer on the track while he tried to gain a lap back under caution. The wreck delayed the Daytona 500 until the next day.

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