DAYTONA, FL - FEBRUARY 09: Team owner Rick Hendrick during Daytona 500 Qualifying on February 9, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 09 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series - DAYTONA 500 Icon2002093390500
DAYTONA, FL - FEBRUARY 09: Team owner Rick Hendrick during Daytona 500 Qualifying on February 9, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 09 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series - DAYTONA 500 Icon2002093390500
Jun 27, 2026, 10:30 AM CUT
NASCAR issues clarification after race officials broke protocol for Rick Hendrick's car in San Diego
NASCAR has come clean on its decision to make an exemption for Rick Hendrick's team after an absurd incident in San Diego. During the inaugural O'Reilly race at the new street track at the Naval Base Coronado, a manhole played spoilsport on lap 1.
A loose manhole cover got lodged in the radiator of Corey Day's No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and damaged his car for no fault of his. NASCAR ran five laps under caution and then red-flagged the race while the track was being repaired.
In a surprise occurrence, the officials allowed the HMS crew to repair Day's car under the red flag, which isn't usually allowed. Speaking about this decision on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran said:
"We have exemptions in our rulebook, EI, RI, in rare instances. We can use that when we need to, and this was definitely the case. Corey, that race team didn't do anything wrong. It was an unfortunate mishap from the racetrack. We allowed them to do the work under Red, with changing the rule, which we have the capability of doing when we need to."
However, NASCAR ensured that Day didn't have any unfair advantage. He was made to run additional laps that the other drivers had under caution, to ensure the same tire wear and fuel burn.
Moran explained that the bizarre incident happened because there was a lot of heavy equipment on the track in the days leading up to the race. The manhole cover might have cracked while the preparations were underway.
Despite the early damage to his car, Corey Day managed to secure a Top 10 finish.
Corey Day relishes "unbelievable" race in San Diego
Corey Day had quite a day in San Diego. After what should have been a DNF-causing lap 1 incident, his No. 17 HMS crew pulled off the unthinkable to put him back in contention for a solid result.
After a crash in practice, he had started from the back of the grid in a backup car before the manhole cover incident. Moreover, even after the repairs, the rest of the race had more surprises in store as he got a penalty for speeding in the pit lane and also got spun twice.
Against the odds, Day came home with a 10th-place result. In a post-race interview with Frontstretch, the 20-year-old said:
"Yeah, pretty unbelievable there. We're close to the top five there, too. Man, this team is unbelievable. I mean, manhole cover through the radiator and the oil cooler, pit penalty, get turned, have damage, fix it, bad pit stop, fix it, and get back out all good. I mean, it’s unbelievable. This is a day I'll remember for a lot of reasons."
Austin Hill won the race after leading 13 of 60 laps, with Taylor Gray and Sheldon Creed finishing behind him on the podium.
Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!
