On an overtime restart, Zane Smith was battling just outside the top ten when a bizarre wreck unfolded. The leaders were moments away from taking the white flag when the incident occurred.
After contact from John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Smith and the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota of Nemechek slammed the outside wall. While Nemechek spun back down the track, collecting several other cars, Smith’s wreck took an unusual turn for the worse.
His car climbed up the wall, riding along the SAFER Barrier on its side before flipping multiple times. It landed on its wheels, but the huge crashed forced the race to be red-flagged. He climbed from the car and was able to walk away without issue.
Safety workers also checked the outside wall, but it needed no repairs. Smith’s airborne crash was the first time a Cup car went upside since Ryan Preece in the 2025 Daytona 500.
“It was a wild ride no doubt,” said Smith. “Before I knew it… I had a decent restart going and I just get wrecked by the 42 [Nemechek]. I mean, he drives through me. I was sliding on the wall and I was just mad at that point, and this just pissed me off even more. That’s what really hurt — just flipping down the track.”
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