around 9:20am/et, it was reported on Speed Channel’s NASCAR Live the there was a fire in the engine compartment of the #01 US Army Chevy that Joe Nemechek drives, supposedly oil collected in a heat shield and caught fire and was quickly put out. No report on an engine change, but ut was reported that the #01 would start at the rear of the field due to engine problems in the Gatorade Duel on Thursday.
UPDATE: The MB2 Motorsports #01 Chevy driven by Joe Nemechek suffered a small fire in the engine compartment this morning around 9:00am/et as the crew prepared for the Daytona 500. The fire that a crewmember termed as ‘No big deal’ started after pieces of rubber under the exhaust header ignited. The crew was forced to change the wiring harness and the aluminum heat shield next to the header. The car will be starting from the back, but they had already been relegated there after being forced to change an engine yesterday. The engine that was changed Saturday was from the same batch that produced the engine that had blown up during Thursday’s Twin Qualifying race.(Cup Scene Daily)(2-19-2006)
