At least 28 people were injured Saturday as pieces of race cars flew into the main grandstand at Daytona International Speedway during a spectacular 12-car accident at the end of the Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide race.Speedway president Joie Chitwood said 14 people were transported from the track to area hospitals after the accident, and 14 other people were treated by medical personnel on the speedway property. Two fans transported to Halifax Health Medical Center near the speedway were reported in critical condition.The accident occurred as a large pack of drivers were racing for the win. The wreck began as second-place Brad Keselowski hit first-place Regan Smith as they maneuvered in the draft. Drivers tried to avoid their spinning cars, but 10 other cars became involved in the crash.The Chevrolet of rookie driver Kyle Larson was hit and pushed into the air, and it hit the grandstand fence at one of the fence’s support posts. The entire front end of Larson’s car was sheared away, and the engine burst through the fence and landed on a spectator concourse. A tire from Larson’s car sailed high into the grandstand, and other parts also flew into the seating areas.Several drivers involved in the crash were evaluated at the track’s infield medical center, but none was injured.“Our thoughts are with the injured and their families,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “As with any of these incidents, we’ll conduct a thorough review.”NASCAR rules require wheels and other car parts to be tethered to the car, but that did not prevent the wheel, tire and part of the axle assembly from Larson’s car from flying over the fence and into the grandstand.Chitwood and O’Donnell said Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be run as scheduled with no changes. The seating areas where fans were injured will be open. Crews worked late into the night to repair the damaged fencing, a major job that involved a huge crane.Tony Stewart, who won the race, said he saw the crash in his car’s rear-view mirror and said, ‘That's the worst image I've ever seen in a race in my life.”The crash was similar to an April 2009 crash at Talladega Superspeedway at the finish of a Sprint Cup race. Brad Keselowski crashed into Carl Edwards’ car, sending it sailing into the grandstand fence. Pieces of Edwards’ car flew into the stands, injuring eight fans, one seriously.“Certainly, when we look at this incident there will be things we can learn and evaluate,” O’Donnell said. “We’ll evaluate the fencing and see if there’s anything we can learn. The safety of our fans is first and foremost.”Matt Jauchius, chief marketing officer for Nationwide Insurance, the sponsor of the racing series, said, in a statement released by the company, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the fans and their loved ones who were affected by today’s incident. We would like to commend NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway and the medical personnel involved for their quick response to the situation.”
en 2007 


 obtuvo la victoria en las , la primera fecha del campeonato estadounidense de automovilismo  2013. Al volante de su  número 48, el californiano cruzó la meta luego de 200 vueltas al óvalo de  con una ventaja de 0,129 segundos respecto a  Los cinco primeros puestos los completaron ,  y . , quien había  para la carrera, finalizó octava luego de liderar seis vueltas y mantenerse la mayor parte de la prueba en el pelotón de punta. Johnson, quíntuple campeón de la categoría, se convirtió en el décimo piloto en ganar al menos dos veces las 500 Millas de Daytona.

Debido a las características del circuito, Daytona suele presentar choques múltiples, y las 500 Millas de Daytona 2013 no fue la excepción. En la vuelta 23, un toque entre  y Kasey Kahne desencadenó una carambola que afectó a nueve competidores, causando el abandono de los candidatos  y . Luego, Brad Keselowski evitó un trompo en la vuelta 137, pero generó un desparramo por detrás suyo que dejó a  entre otros con las manos vacías.  y Kyle Busch, compañeros de equipo en el equipo , también se retiraron de la carrera cerca del final cuando luchaban por la punta, pero por rotura de motor.

=== 14 heridos en las 300 Millas de Daytona ===

El sábado 23, Tony Stewart venció por séptima vez en Daytona para la categoría secundaria  al evitar un choque múltiple en la recta de meta. Uno de los automóviles involucrados tomó vuelo e impactó fuertemente contra la valla de contención de la tribuna principal. El motor y una rueda se desprendieron del chasis y atravesaron las defensas, cayendo a metros de las butacas.

Ningún piloto tuvo heridas, pero 28 personas debieron ser atendidas por el cuerpo médico y 14 de ellas fueron trasladadas a hospitales, dos de ellas con lesiones de gravedad.



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