Man Jokes About NASCAR Hauler Catching Fire In Traffic Before Learning It's On Fire

By  Stef Schrader

Longview, Texas-area taxidermist Barry "The BEAR" Dorbritz was stuck in traffic this afternoon behind the HScott Motorsports trailer, so he decided to record it with his phone. Little did he know as he joked that it could be on fire that the trailer itself was actually ablaze.

It's not unusual for Interstate 20 to jam up between Longview and Kilgore in the afternoon, however, getting stuck behind a NASCAR team's hauler is quite a rare occurrence. HScott Motorsports was en route with two cars for Michael Annett's number 46 entry to this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway when it got stuck on I-20 westbound. So, Dorbritz whipped out his phone to capture the moment.

Dorbritz joked of the smoke he saw coming from the trailer as thus:

Not sure what's going on in this guy's trailer, but there's shit pouring out of it left and right. Can't tell if it's hauling a load of dirt, a load of dust, or if the H. Scott Motorsports official vehicle is on fire!

According to a later Facebook update, The BEAR called 911 as soon as he realized it was on fire:

Hauler driver Michael Dennis Smith told local news station KLTV that he pulled over when he saw smoke and that he and his passenger were able to detach the trailer successfully. The fire was around the rear of one of the cars and did not reach the cab of the truck.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire, however, close-up photos of the damage in KLTV's gallery show a number of charred toolboxes and extensive damage to HScott Motorsports' equipment inside the trailer.

KTRE reports that there was five gallons of fuel onboard the trailer for a generator, however, both cars were empty. That generator was not running at the time of the blaze.

Per KLTV, the cause is still under investigation.

The HScott Motorsports team expects Annett to be able to race this weekend despite the damage to this trailer.

Dorbritz captured the aftermath as he sped off in the other direction on the other side of the freeway on official taxidermy business:

That's what official taxidermy business looks like. You heard the sirens. Hey, it's hunting season up in the pineywoods—and general season for deer opens this weekend. It's prime business time for this dude.

While we can't advocate filming and driving, we are grateful that he thought to call 911 as soon as he figured out that it wasn't just dusty air.

Bizarrely, this is the second hauler to have been involved in an incident en route to Texas Motor Speedway this week, further convincing me that our state just likes to eat cars.

[H/T Shawn Askey!]

Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com. Please send ribs from Stanley's.

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