Global Courant 2023-05-20 05:38:01
Driver Akinori Ogata’s practice lap did not go according to plan on Friday.
The Japanese driver’s No. 46 Toyota caught fire as he prepared for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
As Ogata entered turn three, the truck began to bellow smoke. A short time later, the truck was ablaze.
Ogata was finally able to stop the truck as warning flags flew at the track in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
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Akinori Ogata, driver of the No. 46 Kyowa-Eidemiller/Asian Pacific Toyota, drives into flames after an on-track incident during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway May 19, 2023, in North Wilkesboro, NC (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Ogata was able to get out of the truck quickly after it came to a stop. He appeared to have no significant injuries.
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Emergency responders checked Ogata and helped put out the flames.
Akinori Ogata, driver of the No. 46 Kyowa-Eidemiller/Asian Pacific Toyota, drives into flames after an on-track incident during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway May 19, 2023, in North Wilkesboro, NC (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Ogata’s team, G2G Racing, took to Twitter and wrote that he had been “checked and released from the Infield Care Center”.
The damaged truck was later towed off the track.
Akinori Ogata walks onto the podium during pre-race ceremonies leading up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead on Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2021 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
It’s unclear what started the fire, but one commentator theorized that “an oil pipe…must have broken or just come loose.”
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Earlier this season, Ogata finished 17th at Atlanta Motor Speedway with G2G Racing.
Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
