Daytona International Speedway is still reeling from a fiery crash near the end of the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 early this morning. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s race victory was muted by the sight of driver Austin Dillon’s car careening through the air and smashing into a crash safety fence in front of grandstands packed with fans.
Debris sprayed the crowd. Track President Joie Chitwood said thirteen people suffered minor injuries. He explained that while the track is making safety a priority in its ongoing renovations, he’s still looking for ways to improve.
“We’ll take this situation, we’ll learn from it, we’ll analyze it, we’ll round up our engineering team and see if there’s any additional things we can learn to get better the next time,” said Chitwood.
Driver Austin Dillon walked away from the crash with a bruised tailbone and forearm.
