Sonoma Raceway Fatality Is Third Animal Death in 2025 NASCAR Season
Justin Haley started 29th on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway and had a solid day, finishing 15th for his first top 15 since he recorded that same result at Texas back in early May. While it was a good day for the No. 7 driver, he didn't leave wine country with all positive vibes.
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That's because later in the race during a caution with 13 laps to go the Spire Motorsports driver had an unfortunate accident when he hit a fast-running rabbit crossing the track. The driver mentioned it on the team radio right after it happened.
'Oh God, I just hit a bunny,' he told his crew. A few minutes later and after a lap around the 1.99-mile circuit, the 26-year-old's mind returned to the sad incident. 'I can't believe I killed a bunny. Oh, I feel horrible. He was running so fast.'
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Sonoma Raceway.
Interestingly, Haley's isn't the first such incident this year where animal has lost to machine. There have been two other deaths during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
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The first occurred back in late April at Talladega when Josh Berry obliterated a bird on his windshield coming toward the start-finish line. The most recent occurred last month in Michigan when Ty Dillon was heading down pit road and just as the No. 10 driver began turning into his pit box, a squirrel unsuccessfully tried to cross in front of his car.
'I think I just murdered a squirrel getting into my damn pit box,' the Kaulig Racing driver told his team. They confirmed it and mentioned how one team member surprised everyone with a loud scream when it happened.
It's always an unfortunate circumstance when it occurs but something most drivers face off the track just like everyone else.
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Related: Furious Denny Hamlin Explodes in Chicago and Lets Joe Gibbs Know About It
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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