It was a déjà vu moment on the track of NASCAR. The season opener Truck Series race was nothing less than the reiteration of last year’s finale at Phoenix. If overtime, cautions, and retributions were synonymous with the race at Phoenix, the same can be attributed to the race at Daytona. To add to the chaotic affair, Taylor Gray’s truck went airborne, and teams incurred high financial blights after the vehicles survived physical damages, and were left in a mangled condition. Out of 101 laps in the race, a majority of them ran under yellow as a result of high aggression among drivers. Owing to this, teams like Reaume Brothers Racing, are left to fret over exorbitant bills amounting to even $100,000.
The owner of the team, Josh Reaume, in an interview with Toby Christie, lay bare the high financial drainage that awaited after the conclusion of the race.
Reaume Brother Racing owner lashes out at the drivers for the wreck carnage in Daytona
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After the wreck involving Ryan Preece on the track of Daytona, where the car went somersaulted a dozen times after going airborne, the season-opener race once again bore witness to one such harrowing incident. The #17 Toyota of Taylor Gray was sent airborne, in the closing laps of the race. With a record-breaking 12 cautions, the race was nothing less than a calamity.
Furthermore, this wreck-fest of a race commenced after the authorities warned the drivers of their aggression and prohibited them from repeating last year’s embarrassment. However, it was apparent that the words fell on deaf ears after the carnage that ensued on the notorious superspeedway track. While drivers like Nick Sanchez were able to steer clear of any on-track shenanigans, teams like Reaume Brothers Racing incurred a loss of around $100, 000 after being entangled in the wrecks. In the post-race interview with Toby Christie, the owner of the team bluntly stated, “I think it’s just speedway racing. We come here,it’s frustrating because we put so much time into these trucks to try them out to go fast and it’s always a wreck fest.”
“This is a different style of racing and you can play it in different ways, and just depends on how it plays out. Crazy because it’s like our Crown Jewel race so it’s traditionally what we can demand the most dollar-wise from our sponsors, but tonight like tonight it’s not so good, and pretty expensive. I tweeted the money in the carding program, definitely is tonight. Got some torn-up stuff, but glad everybody’s alright.”
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Speaking on the meeting that the drivers had attended with the NASCAR authorities, Josh Reaume stated that the governing body requested the drivers to be respectful towards each other on the track. However, the blatant disregard of the warning was evident when the inexperienced drivers wrecked each other repeatedly.
Moreover, to add to the woes of RBR Racing, the team incurred huge financial losses. The owner stated to Christie, “The 33 needs a whole body and got the motor really hot, and knocked the radiator out of it. The 22 knocked out the radiator out of it at the end and the 27 is pretty bad, they wrapped the center link around the motor pretty good, so at least 100 grand.”
The #NASCAR Truck Series race tonight was an expensive affair for everyone involved. @joshreaume estimates that his @RBR_Teams organization suffered $100,000 in damages to their trucks this evening. pic.twitter.com/07G53Ak95Y
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) February 17, 2024
Even the driver entangled in the crash, Taylor Gray was left frustrated with how things went.
Taylor Gray heaves his frustration after his harrowing crash
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While the bills would pinch the pockets of not only the team owner but also the sponsors, it was the wreck of Taylor Gray that stunned the audience who were left biting their nails. The incident occurred in the final lap of the race and involved a majority of the trucks on the track.
The incident occurred when Rajah Caruth tried to fill a hole and drifted toward Jack Wood, who in turn shoved Taylor Gray to the wall. Moreover, Daniel Dye collided with Gray, sending him reeling in the air before and turning upside down. Nevertheless, the driver was able to escape unscathed and was released from the infield care center after being deemed fit.
In his post-race interview, Gray stated, “I like Rajah a lot, but I don’t know what he was doing. Look at the replay. There’s no hole to get in. (Wood) is still at his right front. I don’t know if he was trying to stall a lane and misjudged it or what. He got (Wood) in the left rear and you all saw it from there.”
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With the Truck Series being done and dusted, it will be interesting to see what awaits in the Cup Series. Will the veteran drivers be able to set a clear example of how not to race?