Xfinity series heating up in Richmond tonite

During a seeminly regular pit stop things heat up big time as you see in the picture in Brendons pit. Started by a lug nut that was run over .. no one hurt but a stellar moment anyway

update on tv says three went to hospital for burns

That could have been a lot worse. A possible tragedy was avoided.

Turner, RIR fire crews act quickly during Xfinity race pit fire

Posted: Saturday, April 25, 2015 7:04 pm

BY TIM PEARRELL Richmond Times-Dispatch

Clifford Doc Turner cant tell you why he helped rescue Anthony OBrien after a blaze on pit road caught OBrien on fire during Friday nights Xfinity Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

The optometrist by trade just knew that somebody had to do something to lend a hand, and he was in the right spot to do it.

Turners quick thinking and quick reaction got OBrien on the ground and aided in smothering the flames before emergency crews quickly extinguished the rest of it.

OBrien and another member of driver Brendan Gaughans pit crew, Josh Wittman, were taken to a hospital for treatment and observation.

Wittman was released from Saturday after overnight observation but O'Brien remains in the hospital for further evaluation and is in "good condition," according to Richard Childress Racing.

Gaughan tweeted that the boys will be okay. One of them will be out awhile, but should be ok.

Turner, the second gas man and gas runner on Eric McClures team, also was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for inhalation of fire extinguisher chemicals and released. Turner, who was not burned and said he had only a scratchy throat, spoke about the scary scene after returning home on Saturday morning to Cabot, Ark.

The fire erupted as Gaughans car was being fueled as he was about to leave the pits during a caution. OBrien, the rear tire changer, was working on the left tire near Wittman, the gas man, as Wittman fueled the car.

Shane Wilson, Gaughans crew chief, told NASCAR.com that the nozzle on the gas can malfunctioned and didnt make a good seal. That sparked a fire that engulfed OBrien and Wittman before it was quickly extinguished by emergency personnel.

Wilson said NASCAR will examine the gas filler at its Research and Development Center.

Turners job is to hand the second can of fuel to McClures gas man. He was behind the wall in the pit stall behind Gaughans, waiting for McClure to pit.

I saw the flames shoot up and the back of the car was just engulfed, Turner said. I saw the fuel man spin around with the can and lay it down. Then I saw the rear-tire changer just come up out of the flames and come over the wall running. He was soaked in fuel.

I just happened to be in a good spot and jumped over there and tackled him. I knew it was bad, just because the flames were so big. But it was fixing to really get ugly.

I couldnt tell you why I did it. I just did it.

Turner, who was dressed in full fire protection gear, said everything seemed to go in slow motion, even though it lasted only seconds. As he was on top of OBrien, he could feel the heat from the flames all around me but couldnt get them all the way out until track fire personnel quickly doused them with extinguishers.

They were Johnny on the spot, Turner said. I dont know which one it was, but Id like to shake his hand.

NASCAR positions a fireman in each pit. Turner estimated that one was no more than 10 feet away when he tackled OBrien.

When we get ready to pit, hes standing right there with the pin pulled and hose in hand, he said.

Im just lucky they were right there. They were right where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to do. Thanks goodness for Simpson fire suits.

Turner, 56, grew up in Coeburn in Southwest Virginia. He came up around racing, has known the McClure family for some time and has been working on Eric McClures team for about 10 years.

He said the immediacy of the moment outweighed everything else when he went into action.

Thats what youve always been taught: stop, drop and roll, he said.

I just knew it wasnt going to be pretty. I wasnt scared for me, but I was scared for those around us.

Saw it on replay. Certainly scary situation. We've been fortunate that pit fires have truly been rare over the past 15-20 years or more. But still I wonder.

Last night's fire was in the undercard race - far fewer pit personnel, media, and hot pass holders.

At Cup races, TV seems to obsess over driver spouses sitting on the pit box. And I was fortunate at Phoenix in 2013 to have the opportunity to sit on Ryan Newman's pit box for about 50 laps - including through a breathtaking, blood pumping 13 second pit stop. In both situations, neither set of individuals is "dressed for the occasion".

I've seen stops all my life - from the stands, from my couch and a couple of times from well behind pit wall. But that day was the first time I'd experienced a stop from atop the pit box - literally just a few feet from where practiced choreography got the 31 back out on the track with remarkable precision.

Sitting there in my shorts, cotton t-shirt and plastic sunglasses, I was all smiles. Never for a moment did I think "but what if..." If Stewart Haas Racing's fueling connection had failed THAT day, my memory could easily have been much different.

I'm certainly not going to lobby for harder hot pass access for family, fans and sponsor reps (though many will and have). Matter of fact, I'm ALWAYS angling for access to future races. (How in the dickens did Tim Leeming get hooked up all those years??)

But no question last night's accident was a sobering reminder about the risks ALWAYS inherent in racing - on the track and on pit road.