Aric Almirola had just gotten up to speed at the end of a short drafting line Sunday afternoon in Busch Series testing at Daytona International Speedway when he felt a vibration in the right-rear tire.

The tire started to shred, causing Almirola to lose control of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. The car spun and slid down the backstretch. Once the car hit the infield grass, it flipped an unknown number of times before coming to rest on its roof.

After a few moments, track workers flipped Almirola’s car on its wheels, and Almirola crawled out and walked back to the ambulance.

“Those things don’t ride real good on the inner liner,” Almirola said after coming out of the infield care center. “It got loose and got sideways. I don’t know what happened after that. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, all I saw was sparks and the race track.

“I was fine. I was sliding around, talking to my guys on the roof, telling them I was fine, and then as soon as I hit the grass, it dug in and started flipping.”

Scene Daily

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