A NASCAR team was punished this weekend after a dangerous incident which saw a member of pit crew hit by their own car.
Taylor Gray's No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team were finishing up a pit stop in Saturday's O'Reilly Series race at Atlanta when a tire bounced off the pit wall and back out toward the track, prompting 29-year-old tire carrier Alex Morgan to spring into action and try to corral the wayward wheel.
Morgan managed to stop the tire from rolling out of the pit box, and was just turning around to sprint back with the loose equipment when Gray's jack man dropped the jack – signalling that his time in the pit box was complete.
That resulted in a scary scene as Gray accelerated straight into Morgan's legs, sending him up rolling up over the hood of the car and onto the floor. Impressively, he had his wits about him enough to smother the tire's movement when he landed.
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NASCAR issue penalty for safety violation (fair)
Morgan walked away from the incident under his own steam, avoiding a trip to hospital after being checked over by on-site medical staff. However, the No. 54 team was issued a safety violation penalty by NASCAR for the loose tire leaving the pit box (after the car hit Morgan) and the crew member being in an unsafe position when the car exited. Hard to argue with that one.
Speaking to CW Sports later, a bruised Morgan said: “I’m fine. I signed up for it. I was just trying to get it back. I guess I need to do a little better. Not like that, not on the exit of pit road. On the entry, I’ve had a couple of clips. Nothing like that before.”
His primary concern? “I’m just glad the car is okay.”
The penalty sent the No. 54 to the back of the field, but Gray was able to race all the way back into the top ten for some crucial points in the hunt to secure a spot in the Chase.
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