AROUND 20 cars were involved in a huge Nascar crash following a heavy rainstorm.
Drivers were left fuming after the stormy conditions created unsafe track conditions – causing the massive pile-up.
Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suárez led during lap 138 of the Coke Zero 400 Cup Series event at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before they and multiple other cars lost control.
Several smashed into the crash barrier on the right-hand side of the track while others span out on the grass.
With nowhere to go the cars behind also crashed with only two out of the leading 22 vehicles avoiding contact altogether.
That benefitted racer Austin Dillon, who managed to go from 16th place to first after somehow finding a gap through the carnage.
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He won the race following a three-hour rain delay and secured a place in the Nascar playoffs.
But some drivers believe the delay came too late and were left frustrated as they felt the wreck could have been avoided.
When asked how the crash could have been avoided, Hamlin said: “Better officiating, that’s all we can do. We’ll learn from this, I’m sure.”
Others suggested the race should have been halted once it was known that a rainstorm was heading towards the track.
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Suarez said: “We knew the rain is coming, it’s raining next door.
“I feel like they have a lot of technology there to know that this is very close, and if it is very close I don’t think it’s necessary to put us in those positions.”
Justin Haley added: “They had about a whole lap to call caution and tore up a lot of race cars. That was pretty unacceptable.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
