NASCAR reviewed the fire; Dale Earnhardt Jr details what caused it
Dale Earnhardt Jr retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition following the 2017 season. He hasn’t run a Cup race since.
However, since 2018, Dale Earnhardt Jr has run just 1 NASCAR Xfinity Series race per season. He runs in additional entry for his own team, JR Motorsports.
Over the weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr entered the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. And, he was running toward the front of the field, leading laps and set to end the night with a great finish.
With just 30 laps to go in the 300 lap race, Dale Earnhardt Jr abruptly pulled to the pit lane under green while running inside the top-5. Things got worse when he didn’t stop in own pit stall.
Earnhardt Jr was on fire. He pulled to the closest pit stall that had his attention. The Joe Gibbs Racing team rushed to the No. 88 pulled Earnhardt Jr from the burning car and extinguished the fire.
The fire burned a hole through Earnhardt’s racing suit.
Bristol Results: September 15, 2023 (NASCAR Xfinity Series)
NASCAR comments on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s return to the sport
“Obviously, Dale Jr is a huge part of our sport,” Elton Sawyer stated via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
“His family, his dad, everything that has gone on around the Earnhardt. But, to get into a National Series race, our number two series in North America, the Xfinity Series and to compete at a high level.”
“You start checking the boxes on that, that was a phenomenal performance by Dale Jr. Nobody questions his abilities behind the race car.”
“But, sometimes we fail to realize, this guys are athletes. And to be basically sitting on the sidelines, he’s done some late model races. But, to get in the car and do what he did, to compete at a high level. Lead laps, it’s pretty remarkable.”
NASCAR reacts to the fire
“I believe it was an electrical fire,” Elton Sawyer added.
“Our safety folks have asked Dale to provide us with his firesuit. We’ll take a deeper dive into that just to make sure everything worked that should have.”
“If there’s any learnings from the fiber, the FIA certification, that type of stuff.”
Sawyer added, “Fortunately, he got out of the car. Just some burns on the firesuit. I don’t believe it got to his actual skin on that one.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr comments on the fire
“I glanced down, moved my leg and there’s a glow a ball of fire. There’s a fire, in the floorboard,” Dale Earnhardt Jr recalled the incident via his Dirty Mo Media podcast.
“Like, there ain’t suppose to be fire in the car. I lifted off the gas and went left. Luckily, there was nobody there.”
“The wind and the air, contain a fire. As soon as I slow down, I’m thinking that fire is just going to light up. How quickly, I don’t know. But, it’s at my legs.”
“I pull down pit road and I’m looking to the left for anybody that’s paying attention. I’m not really seeing a lot of people looking at me, everyone’s got their back to me, looking at the big board.”
“I finally come up on the Gibbs crew. They’re all looking at me like, ‘What is he doing?’ “
Earnhardt Jr usually puts his feet on the floorboard to stand and climb out the window. He didn’t want to do that but he was unsure how to get out without using the floor.
“I got their attention and they came over to me. Those guys came over and just yanked me out of there. It was nice.”
“They sprayed all this stuff all over the car which is unfortunate. Brand new car. But, they’re doing what they’re suppose to do to put the fire out.”
What caused the fire?
“The fire was an electrical issue, starting with the main power cord.”
The carbon fiber legboard was sawing at the power cable just from the g-forces at Bristol.
“Once it get to the metal of the cable itself, it arcs. It set the foam on the legboard, on fire. The foam on the legboard is what was burning.”
Earnhardt Jr added, “We didn’t get to finish where we should have. 4th, at worst. Maybe a win.”
Bristol Results: September 15, 2023 (NASCAR Xfinity Series)
