In just his second Craftsman Truck Series start, Andy Lally became the innocent victim and helped to bring out the record-breaking twelfth caution Friday night. Stacy Compton spun into the outside wall after a little help from Jacques Villeneuve and then ran down the track slamming Lally hard into the inside wall. The impact with the concrete caused a large section to crack and separate from the rest of the wall, causing NASCAR to throw the red flag for the second time.
Somehow, Lally managed to get out of the truck on his own power. NASCAR has made major improvements to the safety of the truck on the inside and out. Although the wall Lally hit was pure concrete and not a SAFER barrier, his HANS device along with padding inside the truck saved him from serious injury. Lally was taken to the hopsital for further evaluation, but he was awake and alert on the way. FrontStretch.com
The race was slowed by a record 13 cautions for 46 laps, including a 16-minute stoppage to repair a wall that was cracked in several pieces when contact by Canadian Jacques Villeneuve triggered a hard crash.
Villeneuve, a native of Iberville, Que., hit Stacy Compton, who spun into the outside wall and then slid down the track. His truck took a sharp left turn into Andy Lally, and Lally’s truck tagged the interior wall. The hard hit destroyed a section of the wall, and Nextel Cup director John Darby was part of the crew examining it before repairs began. CanadianPress
Stacy Compton must be wondering what he did to make Jacques Villeneuve upset. Compton was spun into the turn one wall early on by Villeneuve, and then with a dozen laps to go they made contact again. Compton spun off turn four and was drilled by Andy Lally. Lally hit both Compton and the inside wall at the same time, resulting in a huge hole in the concrete wall. Lally was taken to a local hospital for evaluation but was awake and alert.
Besides Villeneuve and Compton, several others were involved in two accidents throughout the evening. David Starr, Brett Thompson, and Scott Lynch were also involved in a pair of accidents
With the championship lead now 29 points, Mike Skinner will be on pins and needles heading to Homestead. He’s been good on the mile and a half tracks, but Hornaday has been great on the 1.5-milers. Neither driver can afford to coast in the finale. While Skinner has a couple of positions worth of breathing room, he still needs to do everything he can to beat Hornaday to erase all doubt. With a history of unpredictable races at Homestead since the banking was reconfigured, expect the unexpected in the NCTS finale next Friday. Charles Krall, CupScene.com
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