LAS VEGAS, NV — It’s not uncommon for drivers to sit out an unknown number of races after a serious crash or injury of some sort. News broke earlier this week that Ross Chastain would be the substitute driver at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford in place of Ryan Newman, and there is currently no update or timeline on when or if Newman will return to racing in the NASCAR Cup series.
Chastain isn’t just another NASCAR racer; his resume actually shines very highly with a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2018 at Vegas, leading 180 of the 200 laps. Any driver would openly admit they would not want a higher tiered ride due to a fellow competitor’s injuries, but they all will make the most of it. For Chastain, he looks to do just that with Newman’s seat, so let’s look back over the years at five other drivers who found success while substituting for another racer during unfortunate circumstances.
Tiny Lund Wins 1963 Daytona 500 for Wood Brothers
Marvin Panch raced for the Wood Brothers back in the early 60’s as their premier driver. His experience behind the wheel of many drivers across multiple disciplines led him to be a leader in motorsports. Tiny Lund, a friend of Panch, arrived to look for a weekend job opportunity whether as a driver or a mechanic.
While testing a Ford-powered Maserati for the Daytona sportscar race, Panch crashed during one of the segments, and the car burst into flames. Lund was on the sidelines and ran into the fiery car to pull out Panch. Lund was then asked by Panch and the Wood Brothers team to take over his entry for the Daytona 500.
Lund would take his car and finish sixth in the qualifying race, and race a fuel mileage battle in the Daytona 500 between he, Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett. Lorenzen would run out of gas with 10 laps to go, and Jarrett would start coasting with three laps to go. Lund ran out on the final lap, but had a large enough lead to be able to coast to the finish and win the race.
Kevin Harvick Takes Earnhardt Ride to Victory Lane in Atlanta
After Dale Earnhardt’s untimely death in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick would get the call to race full-time in the Cup series. With Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip and Steve Park still racing for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, a lot of Earnhardt’s top prospects were already in his machines, so Richard Childress brought his development driver to the top series earlier than planned.
In just a few starts, Harvick would qualify fifth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and turn many eyes his direction. The closing laps would find the young California native in the lead, coming to the line holding off Jeff Gordon for his first career victory. Harvick would go on to run his own race team in NASCAR, and become the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Ernie Irvan Replaces Davey Allison in Robert Yates Texaco Ford
Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash in 1993, leaving the Robert Yates No. 28 Texaco Ford seat empty. Ernie Irvan wanted to take his seat, despite currently driving for Morgan-McClure. Morgan-McClure didn’t want Irvan to leave, and the conflict led to a lawsuit. The result was Irvan getting fired a few months later, and Irvan took over Allison’s ride.
Irvan ran nine races at the end of that season, winning twice and gathering five top five finishes. He climbed to sixth in the championship standings, and narrowly followed that up with a Brickyard 400 win until a cut tire prevented him from sealing the victory. He would drive for Yates through the 1997 season.
Jerry Nadeau Drives for Ernie Irvan After Career-Ending Crash at Michigan
Ernie Irvan’s career continued to expand as he commonly drove double duty in both Cup and the then NASCAR Busch Series, but a collection of terrible crashes over the years made him more and more susceptible to serious injuries. While driving his own Busch Series car in a practice session for the race, Irvan crashed hard at Michigan, exactly five years after his near fatal accident there. He was again airlifted from the track and was diagnosed with a mild head injury and a bruised lung as a result of the accident.
Two weeks later, he announced his retirement from NASCAR, and Jerry Nadeau filled in at MB2 Motorsports to finish out the 1999 season. Nadeau was only able to gather three top 20 finishes, but his precision with the car caught the eye of Rick Hendrick. They signed a contract for 2000, which led to Nadeau’s first and only career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Alex Bowman Fills in For Dale Earnhardt Jr. After Concussion
Dale Earnhardt Jr. would back out of the seat for the remainder of the 2016 season after concussion-related injuries. Alex Bowman, who previously raced in the Cup series with BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing, would work with Jeff Gordon to fill in and drive the No. 88 car. He won the pole at Phoenix, led the most laps and attempted what would have been the race winning pass on Matt Kenseth. The two, along with Kyle Busch, all made contact and were sent spinning. Bowman would recover to finish sixth, but he sealed his ride when Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement and vouched for Bowman to take over.
Bowman would then continue into the years and qualify for the Playoffs. Throughout his Cup career, the young driver finished in every position — second through 43rd — but had not yet won a race at NASCAR’s top level. At Chicagoland Speedway, he fought Kyle Larson in the closing laps, swapping spots back and forth, with Bowman prevailing to earn his first career victory.