Austin Dillon in horrifying crash; five fans injured

Jeff Gluck | USA TODAY Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coke Zero 400 early Monday morning, but the finish of the race was marred by a horrifying crash that sent Austin Dillon's car sailing into the catchfence at Daytona International Speedway.

Dillon walked away and waved to the crowd after his car got airborne and was torn apart by the fence. He was been checked and released from the infield care center with a bruised tailbone and forearm.

Track president Joie Chitwood III confirmed 13 fans were examined and eight declined treatment. Of the five treated, one was transported to a local hospital, treated and released. The other four were treated at the infield care center.

"It's not really acceptable, I don't think," Dillon told reporters after exiting the care center. "We've got to figure out something. Our speeds are too high, I think. I think everybody could get good racing with slower speeds. We can work at that, and then figure out a way to keep the cars on the ground. That's the next thing. We're fighting hard to make the racing good. I hope the fans appreciate that. We don't, but it's our job. You go out there and hold it wide open to the end and hope you make it through."

After Sam Hornish Jr. had spun through the grass to bring out the race's final caution, that set up a green-white-checker finish. A mass of cars were jockeying for position behind Earnhardt Jr., who had been the driver to beat all night, and several lines followed him across the finish.

Denny Hamlin appeared to get backed up into Kevin Harvick. That pushed Jeff Gordon back into Dillon, whose car lifted and flew over two or three lanes of traffic and up into the catchfence toward the entrance to Turn 1.

The fence was torn down in the section where Dillon hit. Dillon's car was hit again by Brad Keselowski's car as drivers scattered to try to avoid the multicar pileup.

Crew members from many teams ran out to check on Dillon and help extricate him from the car. They gave a thumbs up when they saw he was OK.

Dillon waved to the crowd after being helped from the car.

The engine block from his No. 3 Chevrolet was seen smoking — completely detached from the rest of the car.

"It was very vicious," Dillon said of the crash. "It's twisting you around in there, and the belts are loosening with each hit, so the hits are getting more and more violent. By the fourth hit, you've separated enough so that the fourth one is going to hurt more than others. I held on to the steering wheel as hard as I could. I'm sure I'm going to find more bumps and bruises during the week, but right now I feel all right."

Drivers were shaken up afterward, immediately concerned for Dillon's well-being and that of the fans sitting near the action. Their reactions to the incident — and whether it could have been prevented — were mixed.

Ryan Newman was furious.

"NASCAR got what they wanted. That's the end of it," he told USA TODAY Sports. "Cars getting airborne, unsafe drivers, same old stuff. They just don't listen."

When asked if he believed another crash like this would help spur more changes and safety improvements, especially at restrictor-plate tracks where speeds reach more than 200 mph and the chances of cars lifting is increased, Newman replied:

"No. They had an event in 2001 (when seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed). They've had several events since then. They just don't pay attention to safety. Simple as that."

Dillon was able to remember and describe the incident.

"It was just crazy. It's part of this racing," Dillon said. "Everybody is pushing as hard as they can — pushing in a tight pack. I was pushing the 24 (Jeff Gordon) and the people behind are pushing me, It was just a wad right there at the end. At these speedway races, you're just praying and hoping that you get through it."

Dylan Whitlock, a fan from Mississippi, captured the incident on video and spoke to USA TODAY Sports moments after the crash.

"It happened so quick, I couldn't move," he said. "I'm shaking pretty bad."

Whitlock said an eerie silence followed the crash as fans around him stood in shock.

"That's the quietest I've ever heard somebody be when Junior won," he said.

One man a couple rows behind Whitlock appeared to be hit in the head by debris, Whitlock said. But Whitlock said the man was being tended to and appeared to be awake and alert.

Just when Dillon thought the wreck was over, his car was hit again.

"I thought the wreck was over and I was sliding on the roof. I thought, 'We made it. We made it.' And then there was a big bang. I think it was the 2 car (Keselowski) that ran into me. Literally I had just got done stopping and crew members were everywhere. I thought that was really cool and special. It was comforting to me. They got to me pretty quick. I just wanted to get out of there and let the fans know I was OK."

Aside from his minor injuries, Dillon said he had no headache or other pains from what his grandfather and team owner Richard Childress called a ''wild ride''.

"I'll ice up and go get ready for Kentucky," Dillon said. "It happened so quick. I was just hanging on and praying I would get through it and get to race again.

"This is what we do. We sign up for this every weekend."

PHOTOS: Dillon's terrifying crash at Daytona

Earnhardt Jr., who added a second consecutive plate-race win, was subdued in victory lane, saying in a televised interview: "That scared the hell out of me. I saw the whole thing in my mirror. That was terrifying to watch. You saw the car get high and get into the fence. It was touch and go there for several moments. I (am) more thankful that everyone is OK than standing here in victory lane at the moment."

Jimmie Johnson said he saw the crash in his rear-view mirror and "expected the worst" when he came back around the track.

"I'm shocked that Austin Dillon is even alive, what he went through," Johnson said. "Just a frightening moment."

The crash was eerily reminiscent of one in February 2013 when Kyle Larson's car went airborne into the catchfence during a Nationwide (now Xfinity) race. Larson emerged uninjured, but more than two dozen fans were hurt by debris that came through or over the fencing. That accident stirred an outcry among drivers and fans for NASCAR and Daytona to step up its safety efforts.

The crash also comes on the heels of Kyle Busch's wreck in the Xfinity opener at Daytona on Feb. 21, when he broke his right leg and left foot after his car sailed into an uncovered concrete wall.

"Right from the start it was a crazy race," said Jeff Gordon, racing for the final time at Daytona in the Cup Series on Sunday night. "It's like a videogame out there except for it's real life. I love Daytona and this place has been amazing for me. ... After going through that, I'm glad I only have one more restrictor-plate race left."

Is one answer eliminating green-white-checker finishes from plate racing? Hamlin doesn't think so.

"You want to make the sport as safe as possible, but we're going to make those mistakes," Hamlin said. "We're going to make mistakes like that on Lap 1 sometime down the road. Trying to eliminate it at the end of the race where it's deciding a winner, it probably should get played out. It's just part of the speed and the cars and the package we have.

"I'm happy with the package, personally. I believe that we have something that races really well. We're running at a decent speed. Do we want it to get up in the air? No, but it's going to happen sometimes.

"A certain element of danger is part of our sport, and a lot of that is what resonates with race fans. We don't want cars going in the air, but when we cross the line at 200 (mph) and the car gets turned around backward and immediately gets hit in the nose, it's going to go up. It does matter if you're running 160 or 200, it's going to happen. It's part of racing when you're that close.

"The safest thing is to not having people sitting right there. We typically crash in that same area most of the time. They have an option to do that now -- only have upper level seats in that area. That's right at the start-finish line, which is right where all of these fans want to be when their favorite driver wins the race.

"It's a tough balance. ... the catchfence kept the car Inside the racetrack. I'm not sure what else we could really do about it. It's freak incidents that happen. But really the only thing you can do without making crazy, wholesale changes is don't sell seats in that lower level."

The race, the first carried on NBC since 2006, was delayed for nearly four hours for rain. The green flag dropped at 11:42 p.m. ET.