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Fans treated for injuries after terrifying crash as Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins Coke Zero 400

 
Austin Dillon goes airborne during a multicar crash on the final lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning in Daytona Beach. [Orlando Sentinel / Associated Press]
Austin Dillon goes airborne during a multicar crash on the final lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning in Daytona Beach. [Orlando Sentinel / Associated Press]
Published July 6, 2015

DAYTONA BEACH — A frightening, last-lap crash overshadowed a victory by NASCAR's most popular driver at its most famous track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. overcame an almost four-hour rain delay to win the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway early Monday morning. But the celebration for his second victory of the season and his fourth at the famed 2 ½-mile tri-oval was muted because of a wreck that sent Austin Dillon into the catch fence and sent one spectator to the hospital.

"You're just on the verge of tears, to be honest with you…" Earnhardt said. "I didn't care about anything except for figuring out who was OK."

Dillon was, somehow, despite a crash so horrific that Earnhardt said he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see again.

Just before the finish line, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin touched as they battled for third and fourth. Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota spun out and slammed into Dillon, sending his No. 3 Chevy into the air. Dillon flew from the inside line all the way into the catch fence, shooting debris into the stands.

"I'm shocked that Austin Dillon's even alive, with what he went through," runnerup Jimmie Johnson said. "Just a frightening moment I saw in the mirror. I expected the worst…"

Track president Joie Chitwood III said eight spectators were evaluated but declined medical attention. Four were treated on site, and one was transported to a nearby hospital and was in stable condition.

Flames shot from Hamlin's car, and Dillon's mangled machine landed upside down, before Brad Keselowski rammed into him. Dillon walked away and was quickly treated and released from the infield care center. He finished seventh.

"Oh my gosh. Chaos…" said Jeff Gordon, who finished sixth in his final race at the famed 2 ½-mile tri-oval. "Right from the start I thought it was a wild race."

Once it got going, that is.

Rain postponed the race's start by three hours, 43 minutes. The delay was so long that NASCAR had to find a replacement for grand marshal David Spade, who had to leave for a film shoot before he could give the command for drivers to start their engines.

Six of the past 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at the superspeedway have been delayed, postponed or shortened because of the weather. Last year's race was postponed by a day and cut short by 48 laps because of storms.

When the racing began at 11:42 p.m. Sunday, the big crashes started quickly. On Lap 3, David Gilliland veered left into Clint Bowyer, starting a 10-car collision that collected Danica Patrick and reigning Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano.

The next big one came with 75 laps to go, when Kyle Larson nudged Carl Edwards, whose No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ended up on top of the front hood of Brian Scott's Chevy in Turn 2.

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"Brian Scott was real curious about the underside of the car," Edwards said.

The third big one came with 55 laps left, when Matt Kenseth got loose in front of Kasey Kahne in Turn 4. The chain reaction damaged 11 cars, including Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr., who both spent most of their runs in the top 10, and defending race winner Aric Almirola.

"Daytona's a game of inches," said Almirola, a Tampa native and Hillsborough High alumnus.

And those close margins at 200 mph led to closing laps that were thrilling and terrifying.

After Sam Hornish Jr. spun out with five laps to go, the race's ninth and final caution set up a green-white-checkered finish. Earnhardt, who led 96 of the 161 laps, chose the inside lane in his No. 88 Chevy. He pulled away from Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate who led 35 laps.

At 2:42 a.m., Earnhardt edged Johnson at the finish line by 0.122 seconds. Before he even had time to celebrate, he looked in his rearview mirror and saw a car bearing his late father's number flying over the track that took his life.

"It scared the (crap) out of me," Earnhardt said. "I was near tears. You just don't want to see anybody get hurt. It's an awful feeling."