Chevy Camaro Pace Car Breaks Down During NASCAR Race, Causing Brief Chaos
A rather strange incident at Martinsville involving a Chevy Camaro pace car occurred when rubber buildup from the track caused it to come to a halt.
We’ve certainly watched our fair share of motorsports over the years, and of course, that includes plenty of NASCAR races. There, the Chevy Camaro currently serves multiple roles, both as a race car for numerous teams and at the recent race in Martinsville, also as the pace car. That model’s future in NASCAR is currently a bit unclear given the fact that GM is discontinuing the sixth-generation model after 2024, though its racing counterpart is eligible to continue participating in that series for bit longer. In the meantime, the Camaro pace car used in Martinsville suffered a bit of a mishap during the race that, well, is rather unfortunate.
HAVE YOU EVER?!
The pace car needed a tow truck. 😆 #NASCAR | NBC pic.twitter.com/LL9BRAoQ4q
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 29, 2023
The Camaro pace car broke down while it was leading the pack at the recent race, coming to a quick halt for reasons unknown. The driver had just moved over to the top of the track in one corner as they usually would when it’s time to exit and let a race resume, which – as one might imagine – caused quite a bit of confusion on the track as drivers weren’t really sure what to do. Somehow, there were no mishaps or crashes as a result, however.
Instead, NASCAR officials sent out their safety truck to take over those duties after the racers traveled a short distance with no one pacing them, and just a couple of laps later, the race resumed with no further incident, with the backup Camaro pace car taking over for the remainder of the race. As for what caused the original pacer to break down, well, that took a bit of research on Road & Track‘s part.
Backup pace car heading out. pic.twitter.com/1OWXX39BFZ
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) October 29, 2023
A contributor at the event took some photos of the car that show heavy rubber build-up in the fenders, which seemingly came from the track and might have led to the breakdown. However, shortly thereafter, a GM spokesperson confirmed that the stoppage was caused by “rubber debris from the track damaged the wiring harness to the fuel pump, disabling the pace car. NASCAR has transferred to the back-up pace car to continue official pace car duties for the balance of the race.”
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