Latest news with #PoconoRaceway
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment NASCAR mechanic is struck by a flying tire during pit stop
A shocking moment occurred during a NASCAR race last weekend when a pit crew member was struck by a flying tire. JP Kealey was working as a tire changer for Shane Van Gisbergen when fellow Trackhouse Racing driver AJ Allmendinger came in for a pit stop at the same time as Van Gisbergen. But things went awry at the Pocono Raceway when Allmendinger, as seen in footage from his car, slid deep into his pit box and knocked a tire out of his own pit crew member's hands. That caused the tire to go flying towards a nearby Kealey, and the object drove his air gun into his side. Kealey, a former pro lacrosse player, was seen briefly hunched over in pain on the ground before resuming his work. However, it was later revealed by Skip Flores of the Stacking Pennies podcast that Kealey had been hospitalized with two cracked ribs. Glad our pit crew teammates on the 88 were okay after this little issue on pit road. JP is TUFF so we know he'll be alright. 💪 — Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) June 22, 2025 Kealey then added to Bozi Tatarevic that he had also suffered a partially collapsed lung. Following the scary moment, rookie driver Van Gisbergen finished 31st at The Great American Getaway 400. Trackhouse Racing has since named Noel 'Bud' Merrill Jr. as a substitute rear tire changer for this weekend's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. According to an online bio, Kealey played lacrosse collegiately at Robert Morris University, and was the 10th overall pick of the National Lacrosse League Draft in 2017. He began his pro playing career with the New England Blackwolves before suiting up for the Buffalo Bandits. Kealey also works as an assistant boys' varsity lacrosse coach for Charlotte Latin School in North Carolina.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kurt Busch Makes Painful Pocono Admission During Emotional Return to Tricky Triangle
Kurt Busch Makes Painful Pocono Admission During Emotional Return to Tricky Triangle originally appeared on Athlon Sports. For years, Kurt Busch viewed Pocono Raceway fondly. He won there three times in 2005, 2007 and 2016. Good memories. Advertisement Then July 23, 2022 happened. The 23XI Racing pilot got sideways during his qualifying run at The Tricky Triangle and backed the No. 45 car into the wall. The incident didn't appear to be anything extraordinary. However, as everyone later found out, the back end of the then-Next Gen car was too stiff and the drivers absorbed much of the energy during impact. Busch suffered a concussion. Kurt Busch on the flag stand as the honorary starter at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Dedmon-Imagn Images Initially, he was supposed to be out for only a few races. Then, his return kept getting delayed. Ultimately, he didn't return for the rest of the 2022 season and never raced again in NASCAR. On Saturday, Busch appeared at Pocono during the pre-race show on Prime and was congratulated on his recent nomination into the Hall of Fame when he made a surprisingly candid admission about his trip to Pennsylvania. 'It's been fun just taking it all in and telling stories and reminiscing about some of those old races and talking about like some of the deep stuff, too,' Busch said. 'You know, it's not always peaches and cream and sunshine and rainbows, but man, it's just an honor to go in on first ballot and to take it all in. Advertisement 'I haven't been back to Pocono since my accident. So this, it's like a cleansing, purging weekend as well.' Busch's "cleansing weekend" will continue on Sunday when he watches his brother and former 23XI racing teammates compete on the 2.5-mile track. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on Prime. Related: Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott Make List No Cup Series Driver Wants to Be On This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kurt Busch Comment Unexpectedly Sparks Chorus of Boos From Pocono Crowd
Kurt Busch Comment Unexpectedly Sparks Chorus of Boos From Pocono Crowd originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kurt Busch and his fans will never forget Pocono Raceway. There are good memories from the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track, including three wins in 2005, 2007 and 2016. Advertisement But there's a really bad one that happened on July 23, 2022. That's the last time the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion ever competed in the sport when he backed his No. 45 car into the wall during qualifying and suffered a concussion. On Saturday, the 46-year-old returned to The Tricky Triangle for the first time since his accident three years ago and admitted during Prime's coverage of practice and qualifying that it was a 'cleansing/purging' experience. Kurt Busch addresses the media at Daytona International Yeazell-Imagn Images The scheduled Grand Marshal for Sunday's race then drew an unexpected response from fans when asked by analyst Corey LaJoie if he was going to wave the green flag as part of his weekend duties. Advertisement 'I'm gonna be 'Gentlemen, start your engines,'' the former driver said. 'The governor wants to wave the green flag so I'm learning how to share with that.' A chorus of boos rang out from those standing nearby, obviously expressing their displeasure with Governor Josh Shapiro. 'Whoops. Normally I'm the guy getting booed,' Busch joked. 'No, you guys have been awesome.' Busch rubbed plenty of fans the wrong way earlier in his career. However, in the later years, the tide had turned and many of those same fans were supportive of the 2017 Daytona 500 winner. And there was no better evidence of that than three years ago when his career came to an abrupt end at Pocono and he received so many well wishes from those fans and the industry as a whole. Advertisement Related: Kurt Busch Makes Painful Pocono Admission During Emotional Return to Tricky Triangle This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin Pauses Interview to Deliver Somber Post-Race Tribute at Pocono
Denny Hamlin Pauses Interview to Deliver Somber Post-Race Tribute at Pocono originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Sunday at Pocono was the 17th race on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Denny Hamlin has scored eight top-five results or in half of them. Advertisement It's undoubtedly been a solid first half of the season for the No. 11 driver, who finished runner-up on Sunday at The Tricky Triangle behind his race-winning Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe. The second-place finish is the 44-year-old's third top three in the last three races, including a third at Nashville and his third win of the season a week later at Michigan. He skipped last weekend's race at Mexico City to be with his fiancee and two daughters after they welcomed their first son to the family. Denny Hamlin walks the grid at Pocono Raceway.A short time after the race on the 2.5-mile track, the three-time Daytona 500 winner spoke with Prime's Marty Snider and talked about his day but then changed gears and delivered a special tribute to someone who has been a massive part of his career. Advertisement 'Our strategy, just, man, didn't work out,' Hamlin said before shifting the tone of the conversation. 'But, I do wanna say our condolences are to the FedEx family and the Smith family for the loss of Fred Smith. He was such an integral part of Joe Gibbs Racing's inception of this 11 car, my career. So thank you to the FedEx family and Fred Smith's family and we're thinking of them.' How important was Smith and FedEx to Hamlin? Hamlin ran a part-time, seven-race schedule during his debut Cup season in 2005 with JGR. FedEx was the main sponsor in each of those first seven races. That partnership continued all the way up until the final race of last season in Phoenix. Advertisement Related: Denny Hamlin Calls Out NASCAR's Repeated Excuse for Ignoring Fans and Not Making Change Related: Denny Hamlin Confirms Teams Rejected NASCAR Idea That Fans Have Wanted for Years This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin 'Tried the Best' Moves on Chase Briscoe at Pocono Cup Race
Denny Hamlin 'Tried the Best' Moves on Chase Briscoe at Pocono Cup Race originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After missing last week's NASCAR Cup Series race, Denny Hamlin made a strong return as he tried the best runs against fellow teammate Chase Briscoe during the Great American Getaway 400. But, he had to settle for the second-place finish due to an unlucky fuel strategy and a late-race restart at the Pocono Raceway. Advertisement Hamlin— the seven-time winner at Pocono— missed the Cup race at Mexico City as his fiancée Jordan Fish gave birth to their third child. After a week off, the 44-year-old made a strong return to NASCAR, starting the race from pole position with Joe Gibbs' No. 11 Toyota Camry. He started strong, leading the race's first 32 laps. Despite winning Stage 1, he settled for a second-place finish behind teammate Chase Briscoe. Denny Hamlin and his team during national anthem at Michigan International Horwedel-Imagn Images Piloting JGR's No. 19, Briscoe didn't completely refuel his tank during his last pit stop. This meant that he needed to save fuel for the finish line. And this meant an opportunity for the No. 11 pilot to take the lead. Advertisement 'I tried the best I could to make runs at him,' said Hamlin. 'I'd back off, cool everything down, try to make another run, and as soon as I'd get within one or two car lengths, it would just heat the tires up, and then I couldn't make a move on him. Truthfully, I thought he'd run out of gas. But we just were the next best on our strategy, which I thought was the right strategy. We just got a little unlucky.' Briscoe had the lead over RFK Racing's Chris Buescher and Hamlin before the final round of green-flag pit stops began. On Lap 119, he made a short pit stop without refueling to a full tank, gaining a three-second advantage over his teammate. However, Hamlin made the pits one lap later at Lap 120, overtaking Buescher in the process. On Lap 124, the officials brought out the caution flag as Shane van Gisbergen spun off Turn 1, bunching the field together again. After the green flag waved at the restart, Hamlin was overtaken by Briscoe at the Turn 1 entrance. Advertisement "I felt the restart certainly was not good," Hamlin continued. "He didn't get a push, but the person behind me didn't. That was a real defining moment, not to have a chance to get around him because once you get off Turn 2 clear, you have to mess up to lose the lead." Despite failing from the pole at Pocono, Hamlin has been running sharp this season, with three Cup Series wins already. In his last 10 starts, the American has finished third or better in six races and led laps in nine of them. "Every week, we're battling for a win," he added. "Things are going really, really good right now. I'm happy with the way our team is performing. Everything's clicking." Currently sitting third in the regular-season standings, Denny Hamlin will next pilot JGR's No. 11 at the EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta) on Saturday. Advertisement Related: Denny Hamlin Pauses Interview to Deliver Somber Post-Race Tribute at Pocono Related: Kurt Busch Comment Unexpectedly Sparks Chorus of Boos From Pocono Crowd This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
