Family trips for Dale Earnhardt Jr. are usually all about slowing down…whether it’s a scenic getaway to Ireland or a laid-back camping trip with wife Amy Earnhardt and their kids during Easter. But even the most relaxing vacations can take unexpected turns. What started as a simple evening outing quickly spiraled into confusion, panic, and one bizarre “accident” alert that left the entire family scratching their heads.

When a lost phone turns into a “Crash” alert

“The phone ended up exiting my pocket on the way home in a turn and ended up on the road. Got drove run over a bunch. So, the phone is destroyed. But it sent Amy a text that we had been in accident. It’s like, “Hey, SOS! SOS! Dale’s been in a crash.”

That’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. describing, on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, what might be one of the most bizarre “accidents” he’s ever been part of. And this one didn’t even involve a race car. What started as a simple ride back from dinner quickly turned chaotic when his phone slipped out of his pocket during a turn and landed on the road, where it was repeatedly run over by passing traffic.

Dale Jr. first thought he had left the phone in the restaurant, not realizing what had happened. He even used his Garmin watch to try to detect a signal while driving back in search of it. However, the true tale didn’t come to light until after arriving home, when the damaged phone set off an emergency SOS warning.

A crash detection feature on modern iPhones immediately notifies emergency contacts if it detects a serious impact, such as an automobile accident. In this instance, the device sent Amy Earnhardt (possibly Dale Earnhardt Jr’s emergency contact on the phone) a distress message because the frequent impacts from cars passing over the phone simulated collision conditions.

Fortunately, Amy was with him when the alarm went out. If not, friends or authorities would have thought Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been in a serious collision, which could have caused a full-blown panic. In the end, no one was hurt. Except for one completely obliterated phone and a story that’s equal parts absurd and unforgettable.

Dale Earnhardt Jr gets another crash alert

“I don’t want anyone to take this the wrong way, but when I’m on a trip, it’s hard for me to plug into NASCAR. I just got it engrained in my head that I ain’t going to watch the race today,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

After the bizarre phone incident triggered a false crash alert earlier in the trip, you’d think that would be the only “accident scare” the Earnhardt family would deal with. But reality had something far more serious in store. While vacationing in St. Martin, Earnhardt Jr. had made a conscious effort to disconnect from racing. With JR Motorsports in action at Kansas Speedway, he trusted everything would run smoothly without him tuning in. That sense of calm didn’t last long.