A major incident in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at San Diego on June 20 led to heavy damage after a Lap 35 final-stage mistake triggered a multi-car wreck.
Sam Mayer's misjudged entry triggered crash
Sam Mayer misjudged his entry into the corner and struck the inside wall, which sent his car into Anthony Alfredo and forced both vehicles into the outside barrier.
The impact was so severe that the temporary wall shifted nearly a meter. With the field tightly packed after only a few corners at full speed, drivers had little room to react, triggering a massive multi-car pileup behind them.
Red-flagged and status of drivers
The chain reaction involved at least 23 cars, according to The CW, prompting NASCAR to immediately red-flag the race.
Both Mayer and Alfredo were evaluated and later released from the medical center, though Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reported on X that Alfredo appeared to be limping afterward.
{{/usCountry}}Both Mayer and Alfredo were evaluated and later released from the medical center, though Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reported on X that Alfredo appeared to be limping afterward.
{{/usCountry}}It was the second caution period of the race, coming after an earlier red flag triggered when a loose metal cover popped up and damaged a car.
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Mayer escaped the incident without injury, but was visibly frustrated on the radio, criticizing his own performance and apologizing repeatedly. "I have to be one of the worst race cars drivers to ever touch this sport. I'm so sorry. Embarrassing,” he said.
How exactly it unfolded
The main crash unfolded when Mayer and Anthony Alfredo made heavy contact with the outside wall, shifting it several feet out of position. The impact left trailing drivers with no time or space to react, quickly escalating into a large multi-car pile-up.
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Because the wall section was significantly displaced, officials couldn’t simply reset it. Track crews were forced to remove and replace the damaged portion entirely, leading to a lengthy cleanup period of roughly 45 minutes.
List of other drivers impacted
A long list of drivers were collected in the incident, including Sheldon Creed, Brent Crews, William Sawalich, Sammy Smith, Jeb Burton, Preston Pardus, Brennan Poole, Blaine Perkins, and Jeremy Clements, with NASCAR officially recording 25 cars involved in total.