Lofton Injured; Fred’s 250 Ends In Junk Yard
Mayhem struck the front straightaway on the final lap at Talladega like it’s done many times in the past. Miguel Paludo went flipping across the line and was taken to the infield care center but later released. Justin Lofton on the other hand was one of the unlucky that was injured in the carnage.
Lofton was taken to a local hospital for further evaluations. Family members have confirmed that Lofton was taken due to an injury on his left hand. Luckily Lofton’s injuries shouldn’t keep him over night at the hospital.
NSCS driver, Kyle Busch was also involved in the wreck and shaken up afterwards. Busch smacked the exit of pit road wall where there is no safer barrier. “Rowdy” would then sit down along the front stretch wall until medial officials got to him. He was later released from the infield care center.
“I don’t know where it started,” Busch said after being checked out at the infield care center. “Yeah, there was a couple really good licks I took. There was no sense sitting in the vehicle. I just needed to get out and get some fresh air.”
Rookie, Darrell Wallace Jr. was another one caught up in the destruction as his No. 54 Toyota took a hard lick into the wall.
“Jesus Christ, hardest hit of my career,” Wallace said outside the care center. “It scared the hell out of me. Makes you want to go 10 mph under the speed limit in your regular car because pushing 200 and wrecking that hard, I’d die. That’s scary. I’m freaking myself out again. Just couldn’t breathe. I’m all good, not sore anywhere. My pride’s hurt. As long as my Vols won and beat South Carolina, I’m all good.”
“It’s a pretty eerie sight when you come in the med center and see half the field there,” Red Horse Racing driver John Wes Townley said after he was cleared from an earlier wreck.
Other drivers involved in the wreck, all of whom have been cleared, include: pole sitter Jeb Burton — son of former Cup driver Ward Burton, Ron Hornaday, Matt Crafton, Chris Fontaine, Clay Greenfield, Ross Chastain, Max Gresham and Parker Kligerman.
Dakota Armstrong driving the No. 60 just got released from the infield care center, he was the last one to leave around 8:00 PM EST.
Sauter wins wild one at Talladega
Johnny Sauter, driver of the ThorSport No. 98 Carolina Nut/Curb Records Toyota, survived the carnage of yet another wild Talladega finish to score his third win of the season.
As Sauter and his teammate came off turn four hooked together in a tandem draft, their rearview mirror filled with the chaos. Miguel Paludo got into the back of Jeb Burton sending him up the track into the No. 51 truck of Kyle Busch. As Busch bounced off the wall back across traffic he slammed into the trucks of Paludo and Darrell Wallace Jr.. Paludo’s truck instantly began flipping down the frontstretch.
To add insult to injury, the trucks of Busch and Wallace came back across the track for another round of destruction. The second place truck of points leader, Matt Crafton, Sauter’s teammate at ThorSport racing, got clipped and turned around. The No. 19 truck of Ross Chastain, who had ran well all day, was turned head on onto the outside wall along with Parker Kligerman.
In total twelve trucks were involved in the final crash as the field neared the start finish line. Fortunately, all driver were treated and released from the infield care center, with the exception of one. Justin Lofton was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Johnny Sauter commented about the win after the race, “This is awesome. I’m so proud of everybody …” he continued about the crash behind him, “I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen. Everybody was fighting for the same real estate.”
Though Crafton was involved in the last lap crash, he managed to make across the finish line in ninth place. Additionally, he actually increased his points lead from 41 to 57. James Buescher who was involved in an earlier crash fell from second to third in points, losing the spot to Ty Dillon.
Talladega once again lived up to its reputation as the wildcard event. Fortunately, for the ThorSport team, they held all the wildcards today.
The series now travels to the shortest track on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 200 on Saturday October 26, 2013.
Aric Almirola will start from the pole as qualifying is rained out at Talladega
Richard Petty Motorsports driver, Aric Almirola, will start from the pole in Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The qualifying session was rained out due to morning rain showers that moved into the area on Saturday. Almirola commented, “We went into practice with a plan, me and Marcos got a big run on the pack and put up a good lap, we knew there was a small chance of rain today.”
Almirola was awarded the pole based on first practice speeds per the NASCAR rulebook. He turned a lap of 202.000 mph edging out Richard Childress Racing driver, Jeff Burton. Burton turned a lap of 201.987 mph in the Caterpillar Chevrolet. Burton talked about his outlook for tomorrow, “I think my outlook is probably about like everybody else’s – hope we miss the big wreck and make through that part and make it to the end.”
Almirola’s teammate, Marcos Ambrose, will start third in the DeWalt Ford after completed 21 laps in practice with a best lap of 201.876 mph. “It was a great day for Richard Petty Motorsports, we had a plan going in, we knew what we wanted to try to do, we had an expectation that there was a chance of rain today, so we played our strategy really well as a group and we’re going to get the benefit of that with the starting position tomorrow.”, Ambrose said after the lineup was set.
Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards round out the top five. Other notables: Spring race winner, David Ragan, will start seventh. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will roll off eighth. The two drivers atop the standings, will share row six, with Johnson in 11th, and Kenseth in 12th.
Ford took six of the top ten spots, along with three Chevrolets and one Toyota. The green flag for the Camping World RV Sales 500 will fall at 1:00 pm local time.
My view of Dale Earnhardt and the #3 issue
I know this is going to cause a lot of flack and comments, but this is my opinion to which I am entitled to. So for those that disagree with me fine I understand, that’s your opinion and I have no grudge against that so, to each their own.
I realize that so many think the #3 should be out on the track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS). I disagree and think the #3 should be retired out of respect to the man that made the number something more than just a number, Dale Earnhardt. I know that many are not going to understand this, as many new fans were little when he died and have no clue the kind of impact he had on NASCAR. He was NASCAR, he was the best driver to so many fans, to others he was the one to cheer against.
We avid fans know that the #3 was driven before him by other drivers and that Richard Childress owns the right to use that number however he wants. We also know that not even Richard Petty’s number has been retired, and we also know that Dale Jr has stated his consent, but what about us fans? Why do we not get a say? Dale made the number 3 more than a number, something no other driver will do and I dare say even Richard Petty is included in that category. Dale made that car and number a part of himself almost as if car, driver, and number were one unit that became the Intimidator. It was as if car and number were an extension of what he was on the track as a driver.
The day Dale died is the day the car and number for so many of us died too. I know people will say it’s time to bring it back etc, but how many of them watched their favorite driver/icon die in the car? Most of them saw it perhaps when they were young, many that disliked him will say it was just a number and can’t fathom how a number can come to mean so much to his fans, but it did, and it should rest with the man that made it famous. Why? Because any driver you put in it will never be seen as part of that number, it will always be seen by fans as Dale’s and no amount of time will change that.
I have nothing against RCR for wanting to use it but as a fan I don’t think you should but, realistically I know you will so as a fan honor Dale make it different. Does it have to be black and white? Can you make the #3 look different so it does not look like Dales? Compromise let us keep our memories in tact while you still use that number. Is that really asking too much? I don’t think so.
For those of you that will think this is something you don’t “get”, let’s pray you never find out what it feels like to lose your hero because that is the only way to understand what I am talking about.
