NASCAR truck bursts into flames in the middle of practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway as crew rush to rescue driver Akinori Ogata
NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway after nearly 30 years didn’t go according to plan for one driver.
During practice for the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday, Japanese driver Akinori Ogata was forced out of his #46 Toyota quickly after it burst into flames.
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As he entered the third corner of the historic oval, the 49-year-old’s truck began emitting smoke before bursting into flames as it swerved straight into the guardrail.
Ogata was able to bring the truck to a halt in the middle of the track as warning flags were waved in North Carolina.
Luckily, Ogata was able to climb out of the truck and appears to have avoided major injury in the incident with his team, G2G Racing. tweet that he had been “examined and released from the Infield Care Center.”
Shortly after he got out of the truck, AMR emergency responders arrived at the scene to check Ogata and deal with the debris.
His truck was subsequently towed off the track after being involved in a serious accident fire damage to its body.
As for the cause of the accident, one of Commentators from FOX surmised that it may have come from “an oil line that must have cracked or come loose and simply ignited”.
He then surmised that this could have resulted in oil getting onto the tires, causing a loss of grip as Ogata headed for the guardrail.
North Wilkesboro is Ogata’s second race of the season after he finished seventeenth of his entire career with G2G Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season.
Before this week’s race, he tweeted a short video designed to highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
In the clip, Ogata said, “I’m so proud to represent my country and community in NASCAR.”
“As you probably know, this month is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“I love racing and it’s important for people to be able to race no matter where you’re from.”
“I hope to see more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in NASCAR in the future.”
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