NASCAR crew member narrowly escapes runaway wheel in pit scare

During the second stage of the NASCAR Cup race, the first caution for cause flew on Lap 178 when Shane van Gisbergen spun after contact with Cody Ware. A split strategy saw some of the leaders dive to pit road for fresh rubber, even though the expected tire wear for Sunday’s race never came to fruition.

Among those who chose to pit was John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota. However, his team failed to properly secure the left-rear wheel and as he drove out of the stall, the single lug nut quickly fell away. Soon after, the wheel itself separated and began the roll past Nemechek’s car.

As the wheel wandered on, it began to drift from into some empty pit boxes. It was heading directly towards the rear of Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team Chevrolet, which was mid-stop. Unaware of the approaching wheel, the rear tire changer ran around the back of the car from the right to the left side. Only a mere second later, the wheel finally arrived, slamming into the rear bumper before ricocheting off the pit wall. Thankfully, no one was injured as the crew member narrowly escaped being struck.

Video of the incident

Both cars were running off the lead lap at the time. Suarez’s team was actually penalized for equipment interference as they let their own tire roll into a neighboring pit box and get in the way of another team’s fueler during the chaotic moment.

NASCAR has strict rules surrounding loose wheels, but it is more focused on when wheels become separated from the car out on the race track. That will normally lead to a two-lap in-race penalty and a two-race suspension for two crew members. Nemechek’s No. 42 escaped that penalty since the incident was contained to the pits.