By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The final lap of the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300 at Daytona International Speedway saw a terrifying crash as Myatt Snider flew into the catchfencing. That crash for Justin Allgaier was reminiscent to Kyle Larson’s 2013 crash.
On the backstretch, Snider’s No. 31 Tax Slayer Chevrolet Camaro SS was turned into the outside wall. Sliding backward, it got airborne before slicing into the catchfencing. While the catchfencing kept Snider’s car inside the track, it also ripped the car to shreds. Matt Mills slammed into the Jordan Anderson Racing entry’s engine and shrapnel sliced into other cars and even some RVs.
Allgaier’s No. 7 Brandt Chevrolet was just ahead of the melee. Although he saw the smoke in his rearview mirror, he didn’t know about the devastation until he saw the replays on the jumbotrons. Luckily, Snider climbed from the car relatively unharmed, only mentioning about a sore left leg.
“In hindsight the most important thing is that Myatt’s okay,” Allgaier explained. “That was a nasty, nasty wreck. I haven’t seen one like that in a long time. I’m glad that he’s alright. Caught a glimpse of it in my rearview mirror, he was right behind me… two behind me. Saw them start to crash. At that point, you just see smoke and it’s hard to know what’s going on at that point. Once I came to the front straightaway, I saw the replay on the jumbotron.
The wreck reminded Allgaier of Larson’s crash from 10 years ago. That wreck was also in the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona International Speedway. That day, Larson’s No. 32 Clorox Chevrolet also flew into the catchfencing. However, the Turner-Scott Motorsports Chevrolet was ripped apart on the frontstretch, with shrapnel flying into both the ballfield and the grandstands. In Larson’s wreck, the engine and fuel cell were ripped out of the car, much like Snider’s. Larson walked away unharmed.
“With the motor not being between the wheels, that’s pretty incredible,” Allgaier admitted. “I remember Kyle Larson’s crash on the front straightaway, and I was underneath of him. Those are devastating blows. The safety that NASCAR has put into these cars, the manufacturers, they have really stepped up. You don’t want to have a crash like that; to have to test your safety equipment, but I’m really proud of where we’ve gotten to as a sport. Glad he was able to walk away from that.
With the 2022 season opening race ending under caution, Allgaier finished fifth. When Snider’s wreck took place, the Charlotte, N.C. native was running seventh at the time.
Next for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is the Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, February 26.
Featured Photo Credit: Photo by NKP / NKP Photo.
Omgosh! So glad he’s ok