On Lap 76 of the race (Lap 9 of Stage 2) of the Quake State 400, the wreck began entering Turn 3 when an accordion effect of cars checking up triggered the pile-up.
Denny Hamlin in the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry whacked the wall and then veered hard left into the pack.
He collided with #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang of Todd Gilliland before shooting back up the road.
That left the pack with nowhere to go and cars began piling into each other.
Some were able to get their cars slowed down, but the majority didn’t. In total, 23 cars were involved and relegated nine cars to the pit lane.
Josh Berry, Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Corey LaJoie, and Hamlin were all retired from the race.
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Just moments before the carnage kicked off, van Gisbergen tried to pass the #38 Ford Mustang of Zane Smith entering Turn 3.
Smith blocked van Gisbergen and forced him low, which ultimately proved beneficial as the Kiwi was stuck below the white line.
That extra lane meant the out-of-control Hamlin narrowly missed the #88 Trackhouse Racing Camaro.
“There was a lane for me there,” remarked van Gisbergen on his radio.
LaJoie was terse in his assessment of the crash, noting the craziness in the lead-up to it.
“We see people pushing like dummies early, and then I just come in here and get pushed into it,” said LaJoie.
“I come out of the smoke and every corner on my Mustang was knocked off of it. Unfortunately, that was the end of my day.
“I don’t know what we’re doing. We just started the second stage. I don’t know why we’re pushing like we’re damn bumper cars at Frankie’s fun park.
“That’s not to be surprised. I think there are a lot of guys who don’t make wise decisions driving these things on speedways.”
Team Penske’s Joey Logano labelled the crash “horrible” after his #22 Ford Mustang was written off.
“Cars were sideways and you hit the brakes and everyone is just running into each other,” he explained.
“Just a speedway wreck. Wrong place at the wrong time. Tried to win the stage and we couldn’t get that done, and you got to pay the piper when you go to the back there.”
“The whole field wrecked, and I’m just in the soup there.”
After pit stops under yellow, van Gisbergen was classified fourth when the race restarted on Lap 77.
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