NASCAR is no stranger to some pretty wild and bizarre moments on the track. Who could forget the 1986 Talladega race, when a fan decided watching wasn’t enough and took the pace car for a joyride? Or that unforgettable moment in 2007 when Matt Kenseth was asked for an autograph mid-race under a red flag at Watkins Glen?

But those events don’t hold a candle to the time a giant orange balloon nearly completed a qualifying lap—and Xfinity Series driver Todd Szegedy almost got run over by it. And when we talk about bizarre incidents on the track, how can we leave out when Kevin Harvick had a surprise encounter with a squirrel? Yep, a squirrel!

What is it with Kevin Harvick and squirrels?

It seems like animals just have a way of showing up during NASCAR races, right? Take the 2020 Darlington race, for example, when rain caused a delay, and a fox decided to take a stroll on the track. Denny Hamlin was leading with 20 laps to go when the furry little creature casually trotted out, causing fans to joke about “foxes” in a race broadcast by Fox Sports.

Harvick was there too, sitting in third, watching as the fox did its thing. But the fox wasn’t the only animal Harvick would cross paths with during his career. In fact, NASCAR thought it’d be fun to remind him of one of his most infamous animal encounters by reposting a clip from the 2014 Atlanta race on Instagram.

It was the Oral B 500 and Kevin Harvick was leading the race, when he felt a cat-like creature cross him. He immediately on the radio said, “Almost hit a cat. Cat just ran, right in front of me.” Well, it was later confirmed to him that it was not a cat but a squirrel sitting over at turns 3 and 4. Harvick asked again, “What is it?” his spotter replied, “It’s a squirrel, and it’s not wearing a helmet. Not one of them squirrels, a real squirrel.” Here, take a look:

Well, there is clearly some weird ‘pied-piper’ connection of Harvick with squirrels, as this wasn’t the only time he met them on the track. Just a year after the Atlanta incident, it was back! Harvick spotted another squirrel in the 2015 Phoenix International Raceway during the NASCAR Mexico Series qualifying session. “We got a squirrel on the stretch!” Harvick said, pointing about 100 yards or so down the straightaway. “Squirrel or cat. … Looks like a squirrel.” Fortunately for the squirrel, qualifying was temporarily stopped and a safety worker pulled out onto the track to capture the lost bushy-tailed rodent.

Well, for Phoenix International Raceway it was just another normal day, the track in the past has had all kinds of animals, a jackrabbit, a deer, and a coyote, to name a few. Fascinating right for furry friends to halt a racing event.

NASCAR and its animal encounters

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2015 was a banner year for critters on the track. During a Truck Series practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway, a rabbit hopped onto the track, causing a brief delay as NASCAR officials tried to chase it off. But it wasn’t until John Hunter Nemechek joined the chase that the bunny finally made its way to the infield, and the session resumed.

And who could forget the owl that decided to park itself on the track during a practice session for the Auto Club 400? Officials had no choice but to throw the red flag and bring everything to a standstill. It was rumored that Chase Elliott’s ex-sponsor, Hooters, might’ve had something to do with it, but no one could confirm! And this was just a year after a swamp of bees made their home at the Auto Club flag stand.

Then, of course, there was the groundhog incident at Michigan International Speedway. During a June Xfinity Series practice, a little groundhog made its way onto the backstretch, forcing workers to chase it down. The funny part? The groundhog was so quick, that it escaped a bucket capture, only to continue its victory lap around the track, evading capture even when workers tried chasing it in pickup trucks.

So, what about you? Have you ever witnessed an animal steal the spotlight during a NASCAR race? Whether it’s a bird, a squirrel, or even a deer, we want to hear about it! Drop your stories in the comments below. It’s just another reminder that in NASCAR, you never know what might happen—on the track or in the stands.