In its long history, NASCAR, as a sport, has had its glorious moments, struggles, and overall evolution. However, no sport’s history is complete without some miscellaneous moments, albeit strange enough that they might seem an exception. Similarly, NASCAR has had its share of bizarre incidents that have taken its fans aback.

Being a sport based on minute differences, NASCAR only offers a little room for error. Even a slight miscalculation can cost you the race and some jeers from the crows. Let us explore some strange moments in NASCAR races that have stood out from the rest.

When the lights left the Daytona International Speedway

With the NASCAR season opener at the Coliseum coming close, let’s look back at the 2011 season’s first race, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Drivers were ready to get to speed on the asphalt. However, an unexpected hindrance stood in their way. At one point during the race, the lights went out, turning the race into a disaster waiting to happen.

As soon as darkness shrouded the Daytona International Speedway backstretch, some drivers felt weren’t so sure about continuing the race anymore. Others like Carl Edwards followed the lead of Jeff Gordon, who kept dominating the race even through the darkness. With Edwards hot on his heels for a pass, Gordon decided not to lift his foot off the gas. With the green flag phase still underway, it was a confusing period in Daytona.

However, that’s not all, as Daytona features again on the list with a giant orange in question. During the 2004 Tropicana 400 qualifying race, an endorsement from the entitlement sponsor went wrong. The Chicagoland Speedway was filled with cheers from the crowd as an air-filled sponsor balloon from Tropicana fell onto the track and continued to lap around it. The situation could be attributed to the strong winds blowing at the speedway back then. The huge balloon was steered off by race officials as it went into the wall and collapsed eventually. At one point, Todd Szegedy came painfully close to the giant orange, missing it by a whisker during his qualifying attempt.

Safe to say that the Daytona has seen it’s fair share of eccentric events. However, for the next story, we’ll have to head to Martinsville. While Jeff Gordon had successfully steered himself through darkness in 2011, he wasn’t as lucky seven years prior to that as a piece of concrete ended up ruining his race, damaging his iconic #24 car.

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When 4-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon got hit by concrete

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Misfortune is often the theme of several NASCAR races. Gordon’s 2004 Martinsville attempt was one of them. Running in P2 and warming up to make a pass on the race leader, the #24 car was hit by a piece of concrete on the racetrack. An unexpected erosion of the track caused the obstruction. This caused significant damage to the vehicle and forced Gordon to undergo a substantial repair in the pit lane.

According to him, the one-foot by four-inch block hit the front of Gordon’s car and “jerked the steering wheel out of my hands.” It was indeed an unlucky incident for the former Hendrick Motorsports driver.

In 2021, another quirky occurrence became the talk of the town as a seasoned veteran ended up making a silly mistake. Once Gordon’s championship rival, Martin Truex Jr, performed a strange maneuver in the NASCAR 2021 Clash at Daytona. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver didn’t expect the frontstretch and went on straight instead of the curved road. With the trackside lights indicating towards the frontstretch, it was surprising that an experienced driver like Truex Jr had been so unaware at Daytona. As Truex Jr described it, ‘a terrible job.’

Incidents like these are like a quick reminder. Fans often reminisce about such events at random. As for the drivers involved in these, they will never forget it for the rest of their careers.

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