With average lap speeds under 100 mph, it’s hard to imagine a crash as violent as the one Martin Truex Jr. experienced Sunday on Lap 221. The throttle of Truex’s #56 Toyota hung wide open, and Truex plowed through Kasey Kahne’s #4 Toyota into the Turn 3 wall with an impact that destroyed and ignited Truex’s car. Truex, who walked away from the wreck, expressed gratitude to NASCAR and the racetrack for the safer cars and SAFER barriers that cushioned the impact of the wreck. “Ten years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here, so I’m thankful for that,” Truex said. “You can lock the brakes up, but there’s nothing to do (when the throttle sticks). As unfortunate as it was that Kasey was involved, he really helped slow my car down when I hit him. It was probably a blessing. Hate that we took him out.”(Sporting News)(4-4-2011)
