NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice at Sonoma Raceway was red-flagged on Friday following a scary crash in the Turn 11 hairpin.
Austin Green, driving the No. 87 Peterson Racing Chevrolet, lost brakes on entry of the Turn 11 hairpin. He slammed the tire barrier, sending bundles flying, and digging underneath them. The car even pushed the concrete barrier back.
Thankfully, the 25-year-old quickly climbed out of the car, and was checked and released from the infield care center. Green thanked NASCAR for the safety of modern cars, and and the medical team after being cleared.
Green had posted the 22nd fastest lap at that point in the session, and completed ten laps before the brake failure occurred. After a lengthy cleanup that lasted almost 30 minutes, the session resumed with 15 minutes on the clock. Shane van Gisbergen was fastest of all drivers at the time, but Corey Day eclipsed him at the very end of the session while on a mock qualifying run.
Van Gisbergen went on to secure pole position in qualifying, sharing the front row with Brent Crews.
Green has seven top ten finishes in the last nine road course races, with a best finish of second at the Charlotte Roval last fall. Green is sharing the No. 87 car with Nick Sanchez this summer.
It’s the second consecutive week NASCAR O’Reilly cars have broken a barrier, as a restart melee at San Diego forced a stoppage for wall repairs as well.
Austin Green crash damage
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
