NASCAR Truck Series Winner Starts Massive Fire During Victory Burnout

© Sean Gardner - Getty Images Yes, a burnout can be too good.

After today's NASCAR Truck Series race at the Circuit of the Americas, Zane Smith celebrated as most NASCAR winners do: with a burnout on the front straightaway. Unfortunately for Smith, that burnout quickly turned into two separate fires behind both wheel wells.

NASCAR drivers celebrate wins with burnouts at least once a week, almost always without starting any sort of fire. As Cup Series driver and Fox analyst Kevin Harvick notes, however, these trucks are equipped with mud flaps that were introduced to improve visibility during rainy races on flat tracks like the Circuit of the Americas. Unfortunately for Smith's team, those flaps appear to have played a part in the burnout sparking a serious fire.

Smith seemed nonplussed, though. He stepped slightly further away from the truck and continued celebrating while the fire raged for around 30 seconds. Fortunately, nearby safety crews arrived with fire extinguishers seconds later and put out the flames before they could engulf the entirety of the winning truck.

Over more than three seasons in the NASCAR Truck Series, Smith has won nine races, secured the 2022 championship, and never finished worse than second in any full season. He is a Ford-affiliated prospect and seems to be on a path to head for full-time competition in the Cup Series next, starting with a part-time schedule at Front Row Motorsports this season. This is his first post-race fire in 85 career NASCAR national series starts, which is a better record than some.