Bizarre: NASCAR driver intentionally crashes into wall, passing everyone
Desperation attempt
499 laps Ross Chastain had already completed Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. It did not look good, as the driver was in 10th place. A fifth-place finish was the minimum he needed to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs. In the very last corner of the race, he decided to do something radical. As Chastain entered Turn 3, he pushed the gas pedal of his Chevrolet full blast, let go of his steering wheel and headed straight for the wall. As the first cars crossed the finish line, Chastain scraped against the concrete wall at high speed in the final meters, overtaking five competitors and crossing the finish line in fifth place.
Gamecube
In an interview After the race, Chastain explained how he came up with the idea for his kamikaze action, “When I was young I played NASCAR 2005 a lot on the Gamecube with brother Chad. In the game it works, but I never knew if it would really work. I mean, I did when I was eight years old. I asked the team on the last lap out of Turn 2 if we needed more positions, and we did. I made the choice, grabbed fifth gear and let go of the wheel, hoping I wouldn’t hit the entrance gate of Turn 4.”
Chastain did the final lap of the race in 18.8 seconds, which was faster than the pole lap that weekend. You can watch the bizarre overtaking in the video below.