NASCAR driver Ricky Steinhouse Jr crashes head-on into a divider during first lap; Watch

NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr saw his return to the track end in horror having spent two months out of action due to the coronavirus pandemic. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) officially announced its plans to return on Sunday, May 17. Unfortunately, the green flag at Darlington Raceway wasn't out for long due to the Ricky Stenhouse Jr crash in the first lap drawing the yellow caution flag for the remainder of the track drivers.

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NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr crash head-on into a divider

The highly anticipated NASCAR return at the weekend ended in horror for Ricky Stenhouse Jr when the 32-year-old crashed head-on into a divider during the first lap of the Real Heroes 400 NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway. The 1.366-mile Darlington track is renowned for its testing nature and rightly given its nickname 'Too Tough To Tame'. With no practice or qualifying since the past two months, it appeared that some drivers were still rusty and needed a few moments to get accustomed to their vehicles. Unfortunately, for Ricky Stenhouse Jr, his No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro crashed in the first lap of the race, ending hopes of a successful return to NASCAR for the JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet group. 

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The Ricky Stenhouse Jr crash was trending on social media as fans were eager to know whether the NASCAR star was stable following the crash. On the track, it appeared that Ricky Stenhouse Jr was running wide while coming in from turn 2 and scraped against another vehicle, sending his car swerving, smashing into the divider and the barrier. The Ricky Stenhouse crash looked disastrous as the vehicle was left heavily damaged but fortunately, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion was assessed and discharged from the infield care centre. A day after the Ricky Stenhouse Jr crash, the NASCAR star took to Twitter to address the situation.

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NASCAR Toyota 500: Who won NASCAR race yesterday?

The NASCAR Toyota 500 race on Wednesday was the second of the track event of the Darlington Raceway this week. It was the first time the NASCAR Cup series held a race on a Wednesday since 1984. Denny Hamlin was awarded the victory after the race was called off due to rain with 20 laps remaining. Denny Hamlin finished ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch who finished in second place. 

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