NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie Wesley Slimp’s No. 62 truck caught fire during practice for this weekend’s race at Lime Rock Park. Though the cause of the fire is unclear, the 22-year-old driver has been checked and released from the infield care center.
Safety crews were able to put out the fire under the hood of the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra. The fire put the session under red flag conditions, with practice resuming shortly after crews completed their clean-up.
After the accident, Slimp told FOX Sports, “We had an issue that started around turn three. I was obviously already going to bring it back to pit lane. By the time I hit pit lane, I started to get some smoke under the dash, and then the spotter let me know there was a flame, so we shut it down.”
The fire happened 27 minutes into the 50-minute practice session. Prior to the abrupt end of his day, Slimp posted a best lap of 57.29, good for 33rd out of 34 trucks.
For Slimp, it’s clear his Craftsman Truck Series debut has not gone the way he hoped it would, though he is keeping his head up prior to tomorrow’s race.
“It’s been a lot of work, which is why I’m bummed to see that truck go up like that,” Slimp said. “It was fast. I was starting to figure it out, but head up, we’ll figure it out and have a good qualifying tomorrow.”
Slimp is one of a handful of drivers making their debuts this weekend, both in NASCAR and in the Craftsman Truck Series. Other notable debuts include William Lambros, Thomas Annunziata, and IMSA driver Jordan Taylor.
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