A NASCAR race took a bizarre and dangerous turn on Saturday when a spectator scaled multiple security fences to approach a driver on the track.
The shocking security breach unfolded during the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado, which had just been brought to a halt and red-flagged following an accident on a restart.
The crash saw driver Sam Mayer take a heavy hit into the concrete barriers, forcing track officials to immediately pause the race.
While the field sat waiting for the race to resume, a fan took advantage of the stoppage to climb over the perimeter fences in a reckless attempt to reach the cars.
The intruder successfully made it all the way to the No. 00 Haas Factory Team car, striking up a conversation with driver Sheldon Creed – while still wearing flip-flops.
After chatting with Creed for a brief moment, the spectator scrambled back over the fences and disappeared into the large crowd before federal agents arrested him.
A NASCAR street race took a bizarre and dangerous turn on Saturday when a spectator scaled multiple security fences to approach a driver on the track
The intruder successfully made it all the way to the No. 00 Haas Factory Team car, striking up a conversation with driver Sheldon Creed – while still wearing flip-flops
After scaling back over the fence, the individual was arrested by federal agents at the event
‘I think he’s wasted,’ Creed immediately reported over the team radio to his pit crew, expressing total disbelief at the bizarre encounter while sitting behind the wheel.
He added: ‘Probably boozing a little bit, and then he looks around and goes: ‘Are you guys still racing?’ I was like what, obviously? And then my spotter again said, ‘You better tell him to get out of there. They’re starting to head that way’. So then I just started pointing. Did you see how fast he shot up the fence?’.
Footage of the jaw-dropping incident rapidly went viral on social media, racking up thousands of views as racing enthusiasts were left divided over his actions.
Some fans were impressed by the fan’s ability to scale the fence at such speed. ‘My main takeaway is how impressive of a fence climb this was,’ one fan wrote.
However, many were left concerned about the security measures in place. ‘Well, I’m sure the police won’t find it funny, he committed a felony on a naval base,’ one said.
Veteran racing analysts quickly noted that the reckless stunt mirrored a famous 2007 incident at Watkins Glen, where a fan similarly hopped a track fence during a red flag to get an autograph from Matt Kenseth.
