Multiple NASCAR pit crews experienced a harrowing near-miss as a significant crash unfolded on pit road during the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Illinois. The incident, which occurred on Saturday night, saw several cars spin and collide, coming dangerously close to pit crew members servicing their vehicles.
The chaos erupted as cars entered pit road for service. Reports indicate the incident may have begun when the No. 19 car, driven by Brent Crews, missed its intended pit stall, causing cars behind to slow down abruptly. This led to a chain reaction, with multiple vehicles spinning.
A particularly dangerous moment involved the No. 88 car of Rajah Caruth, which spun directly towards the pit area of the No. 19 team. One tire changer, Bryan Backus, was struck by the spinning car, and other crew members narrowly avoided being crushed by Nick Sanchez's No. 87 car as it spun.
Despite the proximity of the spinning vehicles, the pit crew members were able to escape serious injury. Analysts noted the crew members' quick reactions and situational awareness likely prevented a more severe outcome. Former driver Jamie McMurray commented on the close call, stating, "They're so lucky." He added that the crew members had their backs turned and were unaware of the immediate danger.
"This is one of the worst case scenarios as a crew member," wrote pit crew member Bozi Tatarevic. "I hope that nobody was out there when they stacked up." He later detailed the close call for Bryan Backus, noting that he was hit in the hip by a wheel and tire assembly weighing approximately 68 pounds, but was able to get up.
The crash forced officials to halt the race with a red flag to clear the debris and damaged vehicles. Three cars, including those of Sanchez, Harrison Burton, and Jeremy Clements, sustained too much damage to continue the race.
Driver Rajah Caruth suggested the initial issue stemmed from the No. 19 car's pit entry. "I think the 19 missed his box and caused us all to stack, and I got slowed down," Caruth said. "But I'm guessing everyone behind me didn't get stopped." He also noted the narrowness of the pit road contributing to the incident.
"It's super narrow and where the commitment line is, just the width of pit road is super narrow, so I'm not surprised that that happened," Caruth added. "But that's why you do your homework during the week and know where your pit stall is, so you don't have that happen."
Another driver, Jeb Burton, described seeing the wreck unfold in front of him. "By the time I looked up, they're all wrecking in front of me," he said. "I don't know what caused it, we just had a little bit of damage and came out of there unscathed."
NASCAR pit reporter Kim Coon described the scene on social media as the "scariest thing I’ve ever seen on pit road."