NASCAR

FANS have been left in shock after a star NASCAR driver broke his SPINE.That’s after flying through the air in a horror car crash.
A NASCAR driver broke his spine after a terrifying Sprint race crashCredit: Twitter

Alex Bowman’s car catapulted through the air after being clippedCredit: Twitter
Alex Bowman, 30, is a veteran of the racing world in America and drives the No.48 Chevrolet for NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.
He holds the record for six consecutive front-row starts at the world-famous Daytona 500.
And he has already enjoyed six top-10 finishes in 10 events this season.
But when not racing in NASCAR, Bowman also likes to compete in Dirt Midget and Sprint car races.
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The latter are classified as “high-powered, open-wheel” vehicles.
They only weigh around 640kg but boast engines of 900 horsepower, giving them incredible top speeds of 160 miles per hour.
And Bowman experienced the full force of a high-speed crash while racing in one on Tuesday evening.
The driver, who was celebrating his 30th birthday that day, took part in an event at 34 Raceway in Iowa.
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Bowman is set to miss at least four weeks of action with his fractured vertebraCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But disaster struck when Bowman’s car was clipped by an opponent from behind.
The vehicle flew off the track before launching into the air in terrifying scenes.
It then bounced and rolled multiple times in front of shocked spectators, sending debris in all directions.
Bowman was rushed to hospital by medics as fans held their breath.
And scans later showed he had suffered a fractured vertebra in his spine.
Bowman will need at least four weeks to recover from the setback.
But he swiftly sent a positive update to supporters, having previously missed five races due to concussion.
Bowman said: “First, I want to let everyone know I’m feeling ok.
“My focus is now on healing and resting. Being out of the car is never an update any driver wants to make.”
Bowman’s team Hendrick Motorsports added: “We’re relieved Alex is home, in good spirits and getting world-class treatment.
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“Giving him ample time and the foremost resources to heal is our top priority.
“He’s having a tremendous season and the No48 is at the top of its game.” More

A NASCAR winner’s car burst into flames when his celebrations turned into a nightmare.Zane Smith, 23, secured a repeat victory at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Smith had the car up against the barrier to do the burnoutsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Thick smoke billowed out of the carCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The mudflaps burst into red-hot flamesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
It took 40 seconds for the firefighters to arriveCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And he was clearly delighted to get one over rival Kyle Busch that he attempted some burnouts on the track.
A burnout is where the driver deliberately burns through the tyres after a race – either by keeping the car still and forcing serious wheel spin or doing doughnuts to heat the wheels and create a lot of smoke.
But Smith’s efforts went very wrong.
The Californian racing driver had completed his burnouts and got out of the vehicle to receive congratulatory hugs from his team and crew.
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But the rear wheels were billowing out thick, dark smoke and then suddenly two fires broke out around the mudflaps.
Incredibly, nobody seemed remotely bothered as Smith carried on celebrating amid whistles and camera operators capturing the NASCAR drama.
And eventually after 40 seconds of burning, two firefighters got to work with their fire extinguishers to put them out.
But the damage was already done and the car had to be towed away.
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Smith, cheered on by his girlfriend McCall Gaulding, told FOX Sports: “Besides catching on fire in victory, that was a first for me.
“Man, that’s a bummer right there… that’s easily the most hectic victory lane celebration I have ever had and I apologize for catching the truck on fire in victory lane.”
But fans on Twitter were left baffled by the lack of urgency from those on the track.
One said: “Yo why did it take them so long to get there with the extinguishers.”
Another added: “Looks like some fire extinguisher training might be in order.”
A third wrote: “I don’t like when they pull up to a wall and do those kind of burnouts, I had just told my husband how stupid I think these are when it burst into flames. I’d rather see the looping burnouts, the wall ones seem kinda cheap.”
And a final user joked: “Really quick response with the fire extinguishers there!”
Smith celebrated his win with girlfriend McCall GauldingCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Smith seemed pretty unfazed by the whole incidentCredit: Alamy
The damaged car needed to be towed awayCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

A FURIOUS NASCAR driver violently attacked a rival with brutal punches in shocking scenes. Andrew Grady unleashed the horrific hits at Davey Callihan following an accident in the first heat at Saturday’s Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
Andrew Grady went on a shocking attack at Saturday’s NASCAR
He punched rival driver Davey Calliha who was seated in his car
Even the efforts of a staff member struggled to contain Grady’s anger
The driver was picked up and carried off to calm down
The two rivals had driven into the infield before Grady jumped out of his car and ran over to Callihan, who was still sat inside his vehicle.
It is said Callihan showed him the middle finger before Grady pulled down the window netting and repeatedly smashed his foe.
After seven punches, Grady stepped back and booted the door of Callihan’s car.
Three men tried to calm Grady down but he avoided them and returned to Callihan’s window to try and get at him again before being picked up and carried away.
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Grady shrugged and told Racing America: “He flipped me off so I started Mike Tyson-ing his head.
“End of the day, we were really, really good. The car was really fast.
“But man… you get these dumba**es that come in here and run with us, and they have no business running a late-model [car] much less a lawn mower.
“I mean… he wasn’t close, he dive-bombed me, he hooked me.
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“I wanted to talk to him and he flipped me off. So I started Mike Tyson-ing his head.
“You’re in a big-boy sport. When you wreck a man, you can take a grown-man a** whipping that’s how I feel about it.”
But Callihan denied swearing at Grady and insisted he was ready to have a grown-up conversation.
The NASCAR ace said: “It was for a transfer position at Martinsville. From my perspective, I was there. It was close.
“But you can’t give an inch for the transfer spot when there’s 95 cars and I had to take it.
“It was just hard racing. I do apologise to Grady but we’re fighting for our life out there so I just did what I had to do.
“I never flipped anybody off. He just comes starts punching me inside the race car.
“I understand he’s frustrated, but again it’s for the transfer spot and we were just fighting for our life.” More

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.
Around 20 cars were involved in the crashCredit: Getty
Drivers blamed the rain-affected track for the huge collisionCredit: AP

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.” More

NASCAR pair Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer got into a furious fistfight in front of stunned fans at the Martinsville Speedway.Brandon Jones took the chequered flag during a hotly contested Xfinity Series race on Friday night in Virginia.
Tempers boiled over in the race at Martinsville Speedway.Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Gibbs and Mayer traded blows after late drama on the trackCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Gibbs was furious with a late maneuver which saw him ram into the wallCredit: Getty
Ty had led for most of the race but ended up eighth after the incidentCredit: AP
But it was events after the race ended that got tongues wagging, with Gibbs and Mayer brazingly brawling on the track.
Gibbs, the grandson of Super Bowl-winning coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs, was furious over a racing menouvre from Mayer late on.
He lost significant momentum after being forced into the wall, with Mayer appearing to shunt his car from behind on the final lap.
After leading for most of the race, Gibbs was forced to settle for eighth place after drama on the last bend.
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It was a messy contest throughout, with 16 yellow flags and plenty of contact between the drivers.
The pair clashed again after the chequered flag, but this time it was Gibbs who decided to contract Mayer face-to-face.
He stormed out of his No54 Toyota and pushed Mayer hard in the chest, with the drivers exchanging words and shoves.
Gibbs, 19, was clearly furious with the response and started throwing punches as officials and pit crew tried to intervene.
They finally fell to the ground and continued to try getting in shots, only to be pulled apart in front of a stunned crowd.
‘HE JUST SNAPPED’
A NASCAR official was also reportedly hurt in the brawl and taken by stretcher to a hospital. 
Mayer – who had taken his helmet off before the punches started to fly – sustained bruising to his face and a black eye.
He revealed that the pair spoke later after the fight to cool the air.
Mayer said: “I just put the bumper to him. He came back over and he was upset and decided to throw a couple punches.
“I was just trying to get his attention and he took it the wrong way. And he just snapped.”
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Gibbs gave his side of the story: “I tried to talk to him, and he got all in my face. At that point, we’ve got to start fighting.
“We got put in a bad position there. The only thing I’m mad about.
“He wasn’t going to get past the No16 there and I just got hit in the left rear.
“It’s just frustrating. I just got drove in the fence at the end.”
It’s not the first time tempers have spilled over on the NASCAR track, with Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson trading blows in 2020.
Joey Logano and rival Denny Hamlin also famously saw red after their round of eight race in the championship play-offs three years ago.
Gibbs is currently second in the Xfinity standingsCredit: Getty Images – Getty More