Thankfully, no one was hurt in a rare, but frightening accident where an out-of-control NASCAR race car slammed into the pit wall at Pocono Raceway. Kasey Kahne got loose coming out of turn 3 at the track, spinning into the pit lane itself.
Curiously, this is the second time an accident like this has happened at Pocono this weekend. Yesterday, Jeb Burton hit the pit lane wall a little further up from where Kahne did.
Kahne’s hit was hard enough to embed a chunk of his car in the wall itself. The race had to be red-flagged for a bit while crews moved the pit lane wall back into place, ensuring that it was structurally sound before the race could continue.
As the commentators pointed out, many people hanging out in the pits aren’t dressed up in full gear. Crew helmets sit on the wall and guests and sponsors often watch the race on a TV, not looking out onto pit lane itself. An out-of-control car is the least thing you’d suspect down there, but lo and behold, it’s now happened twice this weekend.
UPDATE: Kahne is fine, too. Per his team:
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.