NASCAR’s final race of 2017 has been somewhat anticlimactic so far, with only one early caution for Joey Gase eating the wall. But now an incident involving Danica Patrick and Kasey Kahne brought out the second caution flag and ended Patrick’s last race as a full-time driver early on just lap 141 of 267.
A cut tire caused Patrick’s No. 10 Ford to go into the wall between turns 3 and 4, according to the Stewart-Haas Racing team. After hitting the wall, Patrick’s car was collected by the No. 5 of Kasey Kahne, who was running closely behind her.
It’s a sad early end to Patrick’s last full-time race. Patrick’s car caught fire under her right front tire, and the smoke was bad enough that she pulled over before before making it down pit road.
Patrick was unharmed in the crash, having already been released from the infield care center. This was her 11th DNF of the season.
Sadly, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final race isn’t going so well, either. He sits in 23nd place after starting 24th due to an engine change before the race.
Kyle Larson, a non-championship contender, currently sits in the lead after winning Stage 1 and Stage 2, with playoff contender Martin Truex Jr. sitting right behind him in second place. The championship four have ran close to the front for nearly the entire race, so it’s definitely not settled yet.