In a shocking incident that underscores the dangers of motorsport, 73-year-old Norm Benning, who holds the title of NASCAR’s oldest driver, experienced a terrifying situation during the Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway. His truck caught fire while racing on lap 65, prompting immediate action on the track.
The race took a dangerous turn when Benning's No. 6 Chevrolet for Norm Benning Racing was engulfed in flames. Flames could be seen billowing from beneath the truck, which led officials to swiftly deploy the caution flag for safety.
In the face of this chaos, Benning acted quickly; he released his window net and navigated down the track as the on-board fire extinguisher activated. A voice on the team radio urgently instructed, "Get it stopped, right there. Ambulance is right there. Get out," emphasizing the immediate need for safety.
Luckily, Benning managed to escape from the burning vehicle just in time for the AMR Safety Crew to arrive. However, it was a distressing sight as he appeared to collapse onto the pavement amid the scramble to provide assistance. Paramedics later took him to the ambulance, marking an alarming moment in the race, as reported by FOX. This incident follows another recent revelation from Denny Hamlin regarding his unbridled celebrations after winning in Las Vegas, which also stirred conversations around race day cultures.
Details surrounding Benning's health status, as well as what caused the fire, have not yet been disclosed. Interestingly, the fire broke out after he had previously returned the truck to the garage for maintenance earlier in the race, according to reporting by Steven Taranto.
This event marked Benning’s 11th race of the current season; he has been participating part-time in the Truck Series since 2002. His racing history includes several appearances in the Xfinity Series from 2002 to 2004, and he sporadically partook in the Cup Series from 1989 until 2011, with his last successful qualification achieved in 1993.
The day didn’t end there, as significant drama unfolded throughout the race. Championship contender Grant Enfinger faced an early exit on lap four following a collision with Chandler Smith, leaving him to ponder the upcoming Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway. He voiced his concerns about the event being a cutoff for advancing, stating, "I don’t like that race being a cutoff race for us in the Truck Series. But yeah, if we’re an opportunity to try to advance our way, we’ll try to do what it takes to do that.
"I hope none of us step over the line, but our line has been pretty blurry in years past. And our focus right now is just put ourselves in position and hopefully we can get it. We’ve been fortunate enough to do it there before, four or five years ago. So yeah, not the best position to be in, but it’s pretty clear right now that that’s the case."
Moreover, potential champion Layne Riggs encountered trouble as well when he crashed into a barrier due to another push from Smith, contributing to the race’s chaos. After a series of seven caution flags, the checkered flag finally waved in overtime, with 19-year-old rookie Gio Ruggiero capturing his first career victory in the No. 17 Tricon Garage Toyota. Close behind was his teammate and championship contender, Corey Heim, followed closely by Ty Majeski in the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford, who secured third place.
It’s worth noting how often we see sudden twists in racing, but what are your thoughts on the safety measures within NASCAR? Are we doing enough to protect our drivers, or is there more that can be done? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments!
