NASCAR error results in punctured lung for Cup Series pit member

A NASCAR pit crew member suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung after an error at Pocono last weekend resulted in a frightening incident.

The incident began when AJ Allmendinger made a mistake upon his pit box entry, compromising one of his tire changers and sending them into the path of Shane van Gisbergen.

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However, the 36-year-old then careered into a tire which went flying and hurtled into van Gisbergen's tire changer JP Kealey, sending him flying down onto the ground.

Kealey managed to stand back up and complete the pit stop for Trackhouse Racing but has suffered serious injuries, with the full extent of his condition revealed by fellow tire changer Ryan Flores.

“The No. 16 team is going to miss his pit stall and go deep, he hits his tire carrier’s tire which launches it into the No. 88,” he said on NASCAR’s podcast Stacking Pennies.

“John Patrick Kealey. Let’s just say it boys, this is the dog of the week because I don’t think everybody understands what happened following this pit stop.

“If you watch it in slow motion you go, ‘Okay, he got hit with the tyre, that’s all right’, but when the tyre hits JP, when it hits him it hits his pit gun and it shoves his pit gun into his ribs.”

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Trackhouse Racing crew member hospitalised

Flores further revealed the details of Kealey’s injuries, and stated tires flying loose is one of the most dangerous elements of the sport.

“It cracked two ribs and punctured his lung. You know what homeboy did? He finished the stop, he got back up, he did the pit stop with two cracked ribs and a punctured lung,” Flores continued.

“He’s still in the hospital in Pennsylvania today.

“Flying tyres are the most dangerous thing. Cars are one thing, but when these tires get going, they’re 50 lbs (22 kg). When they get going fast, they are large and hard to dodge.”

Following his injuries, Kealey will be absent from the next NASCAR Cup Series event in Atlanta where he will instead be replaced by Noel “Bud” Merrill Jr.

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