NASCAR Truck Series driver Zane Smith put on a show Saturday at Circuit of The Americas after winning his second consecutive Truck race at the Austin road course. And it was a fiery one, literally.
The reigning Truck champion won the 42-lap race on the 3.426-mile circuit, holding off two-time Cup Series champ Kyle Busch, who finished second.
Afterward, Smith celebrated his victory in a very conventional NASCAR way with a stellar burnout. But he may have taken the “burn it down” celebration a little too seriously because by the time he climbed out of his No. 38 Ford truck, his left rear and right rear wheels were engulfed in some pretty intense flames.
Burnout level: 100 pic.twitter.com/cg9BU4wGP6
— Nick Schwartz (@Nick_Schwartz) March 25, 2023
Burned 'em down … literally … 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/FVhkCy953W
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 25, 2023
Now, it’s unclear if the flames were from his fierce burnout, from a burnout done wrong, something mechanical and entirely unrelated or, as the FOX Sports broadcast speculated, from the mud flaps behind the tire.
But since he safely made it out of the car, the appearance of him literally burning it down is hilarious.
Seems @ZaneSmith burned it down too well.
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/GUsHAs9wvq
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) March 25, 2023
Burnouts are bigger in Texas. 💨💨💨#XPEL225 | @ZaneSmith | @Team_FRM pic.twitter.com/tqGzCdUK9U
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) March 25, 2023
And safety crews at the track seemed to extinguish the fire relatively quickly.
Good luck to whoever has to the make the raced win diecast.@ZaneSmith | @Team_FRM pic.twitter.com/gJ6JUVXSnS
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) March 25, 2023
This truck won a NASCAR race about 20 minutes ago. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mwc6O06LkT
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 25, 2023
