A snapped camera cable injured several people, damaged cars and forced a red flag at Coca-Cola 600 earlier tonight.
Details after the jump…
Via ESPN:
Ten fans were injured and several Sprint Cup cars were damaged on Sunday night when a rope cable from the Fox television skycam above Charlotte Motor Speedway fell over the track and grandstands in Turn 4.
CMS reported that seven fans were evaluated and released from the track care center with minor cuts and scrapes. Three were sent to hospitals for further evaluation.
Caution came out on lap 122 of the Coca-Cola 600 and NASCAR stopped the race on lap 126. At that time drivers were allowed to stop on pit road for 15 minutes and crew members were allowed to check for damage from the cable and make necessary repairs.
All cars were allowed to change tires and refuel, but not make repairs not related to the cable incident.
After the more than 26-minute delay cars returned to the track in the position they were running when caution came out.
The cars of race leader Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose in 15th received the most damage. The brake line of Ambrose’s car was broken and there was damage to the grill and roof. The right side of Busch’s car around the front tire was severely ripped.
There also was reported damage to the splitter, fender and rocker arm.
“Due to extenuating circumstances with what happened to the cable rope it obviously impacted the flow of the race and also impacted some of the racecars,” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said in explaining the decision to stop the race and allow teams to work on the damage. “It was in the interest of everybody’s best interest to red flag it, take the necessary steps to get all the cabling either off the racing surface or secured and let the teams bring their cars down pit road and make any necessary repairs.”
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