NASCAR is already exciting enough, but something tells me they could draw in some more viewers if they add on-track obstacles that drivers have to avoid.
For those experienced Nintendo gamers, it could be a lot like the famous Mario Kart video game series. Daytona 500 winner William Byron showed how it could work out for NASCAR by hitting a garbage bag that was at least partially full during a recent NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas.
The stock car racing organization even leaned into the idea and posted this after the number 24 car ran into a trash bag during the Pennzoil 400 and was forced to make an emergency pit stop:
The trash bag setback Byron at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, who was running well enough to possibly even grab another win after his victory at the Daytona 500 back in February. But fierce winds that were blowing around that day had other plans.
Wind gusts blew the trash bag out on the track, and though Byron tried to avoid it, he ended up colliding head on with the bag, and it stuck with him. He had no choice but to take an early pitstop in only the 47th lap of the race after his engine temperature started to spike, as he told Fox Sports:
“It was huge. It seemed to get stuck somewhere underneath. I don’t really know. I just know my temps went from 250 to 350 in 10 seconds. I’ve never had that happen…
It would climb one degree every half second and it got to 350. Nothing we can do about that, second half was just sloppy. Still get a top 10, car was super fast.”
The pit crew was, for the most part, able to get the bag removed and the number 24 car back out on the track. William Byron did a hell of a job making up for lost time, finishing in 10th place after a hectic start to the race.
When Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle and the rest of the pit crew inspected the 24 car after the race, they found that the garbage bag wasn’t the only thing that had gotten stuck in the vehicle.
They reportedly found a Coors Light can (A.K.A. a Silver Bullet) in the air filter of the race car, which means that Byron likely ran over 200 laps with the beer can lodged in the air filter.
Coors Light better jump on the opportunity to sponsor Byron… drivers prefer to have beer companies and their products on the hood of their vehicle…not stuck inside of it.
