From NASCAR to IMSA and the good old dirt runs, this weekend saw tons of great action on the track – but some of them were … a little weird. So, let’s go over some of the strangest things that happened in the racing world this weekend, right?
Lamborghini Huracan WiFi hotspot violates rules
Here’s one that really left me scratching my head. After qualifying for the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring event, the No. 19 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo was penalized. Although it should have started on pole, the GTD machine instead, it was relegated to the bottom of the grid.
Why? He had a wireless access point.
If you’re wondering what a hotspot has to do with racing, it violates IMSA rules because it qualifies as a telemetry piece, which is not allowed in the series. THE No. 16 of the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was promoted to pole position.
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Noah Gragson goes back to the car on Pit Road
Here is another skyscraper that left the whole Internet up in arms. During a pit cycle in in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Atlanta Motor Speedway, No. 9 driver Noah Gragson arrived in his box to find out that No. 18 Daniel Hemric was parked too far in the box. Hemric reversed, so Gragson went into his own hole at an odd angle.
And then he backed away, almost reaching Hemric’s crew.
Basically, Hemric pulled a lot into Gragson’s box during the stop, then retreated into his own box. Gragson responded by backing up Hemric’s car. Hemric explained it like this:
“He (Gragson) had no idea what was going on at the race track, ”he said. ” We went down the pit road and the guy stopped behind us when you accelerate when I was getting into my box and it made me dodge the guy going to box 9 (Gragson). I stepped back and yes, it messed up our pit stops. I backed up and he decided to back up and stick it in the right front fender and drill a hole in the nose of our Poppy Bank Toyota Supra. We had to open the well again and fix it. This was completely deliberate and absolutely ridiculous. Where I come from, you get punched in the eye for that. “
Gragson responded after the race saying: “I don’t know why he is mad. I mean, I was behind him entering the box because we attached our right front tire, and he was in our box. I had to get around it and not be sure why he was there. I had to go back to get there.
“II would be angry if I was also in his shoes, just based on what he did in his career. It is what it is. Let’s move on and keep fighting. “
There was, of course, a post-race fight that ended without punches making contact after the boxing team separated everyone. Gragson later posted this video on his Twitter account:
Many people are upset because it has become a worrying part of Gragson’s identity as a driver: he can be a little stubborn and aggressive in ways that put other drivers in danger. Other people are upset because everyone is upset, because they are anxious for a driver who throws public relations caution to the wind.
Whatever the case, NASCAR is reviewing the incident and will announce a decision later in the week.
Timothis Buret Goes Rolling
There were more than a handful of accidents in yesterday’s 12 Hours of Sebring, but one of the most violent was that of LMP2 pilot Timothé Buret. Sebring is a notoriously difficult track, in large part because it is a hot, rugged mess, and Buret seemed to be moving over the bumps in Curve 1 around the corner. He lost control, going straight to the tire barriers before rolling completely.
More drama on Twitter ensued as users debated whether or not to “respect the bumps” or “fix Sebring”, but whatever the case may be, Buret and team # 8 were totally out of the race. They were in second place in the class at the time of the accident, but luckily Buret got away well.
Swindell E Zimmerman in Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals
Sammy Swindell and Justin Zimmerman had a great time during the 48th annual Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals, one of the standout weekend of the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series. The two drivers made contact and fired in a series of jumps. The two drivers drove away, but as you can imagine, no one was happy.
“We have a car wrecked by a child,” said Swindell. “I don’t know what these children think. All you have to do is buy a pit pass to start driving. You don’t have to qualify. You do not need to do anything. You just show up with money and run over the shit. “