1:30 AM UPDATE ON Ryan Blaney’s Rear Tire Changer:
“Zach Price, rear tire changer for the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang, was treated and released from Methodist Hospital. He will travel back to North Carolina with the team for further evaluation.”#NASCAR
— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) July 6, 2020
Calamity struck on pit road in the very early stages of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As the field came down the IMS pit road, among the narrowest in the NASCAR Cup Series, multiple cars became stacked up near entry following the competition caution on lap 12. Multiple cars collided, and Zach Price, a rear tire changer for Ryan Blaney, was pinched between Blaney’s car and that of Brennan Poole, who careened into the No. 12 in the midst of the melee among multiple cars.
The red flag is out in the #Brickyard400 after a serious incident on pit road.
?: NBC | @IMS pic.twitter.com/9ZmgGPSuw8
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 5, 2020
The incident, in addition to the cleanup required on pit road, brought out the red flag for 11 minutes. A total of nine cars were involved in the pit-road caution; Blaney, Poole, Corey Lajoie, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier.
Price was able to limp away from the car to the immediate attention of the AMR safety team. He gave a thumbs-up while being loaded onto an ambulance via stretcher.
A member of the No. 12 pit crew is receiving attention from the AMR Safety Team at @IMS after the multi-car incident on pit road. pic.twitter.com/WpX9RZzyQd
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 5, 2020
Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.