Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had his run at NASCAR’s Bank of America Roval 400 abruptly cut short on Sunday. Stenhouse’s No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevy Camaro burst into flames with 13 laps to go on the Roval in Charlotte. Honestly, after flying through the air, having your car engulfed in flames is the scariest thing that can happen to a racing driver.
When the NBC broadcast cut to Stenhouse’s Camaro, the cockpit was already filling with smoke. The camera captures flames flaring just behind the right front wheel well, but you could quickly see a distinctive orange glow where the front passenger seat would be in a road car. Stenhouse was still in the car, mind you. The commentary team feared for his safety, but the driver from Mississippi loosened his belts and climbed out like it wasn’t a big deal. He collected himself next to the blaze and took off his gloves as he took in the sight of his car being consumed by smoke and flame.
Stenhouse even had a laugh on social media afterward and joked that he “left our Pizza Rolls in the oven a bit too long this weekend,” referencing the fact that he was being sponsored by Totino’s Pizza Rolls this year. It’s still not clear why the Chevy went up in flames, but the incident was similar to a spate of fires last year caused by damage to the side exhaust.
The Cup Series season start peaked early for Stenhouse with his Daytona 500 victory that locked him into the playoffs. The JTG Daugherty driver only finished in the top five once after the Great American Race. He would go on to be eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.