The Big One hit just 15 laps in the Daytona 500, triggered when Aric Almirola became pole winner Alex Bowman and started a 16-car pileup.
Minutes later, the race was interrupted by lightning and fans who were socially distant in the stands had to seek shelter in the crowded hall. A heavy rain followed, closing “The Great American Race” for a long delay.
Christopher Bell started hand-to-hand when he pushed Almirola very hard near the front of the field and forced the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to swing while trying to avoid a skid. Almirola ended up turning right at Bowman. Their contact caused the collision of others, making them spin and skid across the grass and mud. Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Ryan Newman Daniel Suarez and Kurt Busch were among those involved.
“We were being pressured very early,” said Almirola, according to NASCAR.com. “It’s a very, very long race. Man, we were in a good position, just sitting there running between the first two, three and 20 [Bell] it just came with a big race and hit me hard in a bad place and turned me right and tore our race car and finished our Daytona 500 very early.
Almirola, Bowman, Newman, Jones and Suarez are among those now listed as out of the race, according to NASCAR.com.
Hendrick Motorsports put Bowman and Byron in the front row.
Newman almost died in a horrible accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500 last year. Newman left safely on Sunday and even spotted Busch sitting in his Chevy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.