Anthony Alfredo: “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
On Saturday night, the NASCAR Xfinity Series took the green flag at Kansas Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval hosted the opening in the Round of 8 in the NXS Playoffs.
Watch the Anthony Alfredo crash video below.
With 28 laps to go, Justin Haley got a bad launch on the restart. That stacked up the inside lane.
Multiple drivers pulled out of line, making moves on the apron into turn one. Just ahead of the turn, they were three wide, on the apron alone.
As the field hit turn one, they were completely out of room. Allgaier jumped on the brakes, but it was too late.
Allgaier had no chance of making the corner with the narrow entry. Without the help of track banking, Allgaier straight lined turned one. He clipped Anthony Alfredo in the left rear.
Alfredo chased his car up the banking where he was then hooked in the right rear. Alfredo was turned directly into the outside wall at a high rate of speed.
Sparks flew as the impact generated enough force to flip the car on it’s roof. Alfredo slid down the banking, on his roof as the front end was shortened by a few feet following the nose first impact with the safer barrier.
The car came a stop on the apron. NASCAR safety workers were quickly at the scene where they found the driver alert and responding.
The safety team then used two two trucks to roll the car back over. One chain pulled the car back to it’s mangled wheels. The other chain was hooked on the opposite side of the car, designed to slowly let the car back to it’s wheels.
It was enacted flawlessly. As the car dropped back to it’s wheels, Alfredo climbed out under his own power and gave two thumbs up to the grandstands.
Related: Kansas race results from October 17, 2020 (NASCAR Xfinity Series)
Justin Allgaier on the crash
“I tried to back out of it there. I think I’m ok damage wise,” Allgaier told his crew over the radio shortly after the crash.
The crew responded, “Alfredo’s out of his car, he’s ok.”
Allgaier: “Thank you for that.”
“Sorry, I should have bailed earlier. I just thought there was more time. I guess I thought I could make the transition. I don’t know what I thought,” Allgaier added.
He concluded, “Dumb move. As a lifted, being on the apron, it started to come around. At that point, it was game over.”
Anthony Alfredo after the crash
“It was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced. That definitely shows you how fast things happen in racing,” Alfredo stated to NBC Sports after exiting the infield care center.
“I’m just glad to be ok. First off, I gotta thank the NASCAR safety crew for being there, immediately. Before I even realized it was over.”
“That was just racing hard. Very thankful for the safety team and the safe race cars, we have today.”
“Wow! That’s pretty nuts,” Alfredo notes as he watches the video replay of the crash for the first time.
“I want to do this fullk-time and go race for a championship next year. This is just a little wall you gotta climb over in some of the things that happen in racing.”
Alfredo concluded. “I wish I could have flipped back over and kept digging because I was having a blast tonight at Kansas Speedway.”
Anthony Alfredo
Crash Video
Kansas Speedway
Links
Anthony Alfredo | Justin Allgaier | Kansas Speedway | NASCAR
