Marco Andretti’s fourth career Truck Series start came to an early end Saturday after the entire rear end housing came off the No. 04 Chevrolet.
The incident occurred when Andretti spun suddenly in Turn 11. The No. 04 Roper Racing entry slid across the track and ended up off the racing surface. The rear end housing rolled across the track and came to a rest in the grass.
Marco Andretti drove the wheels off that thing…
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 23, 2024
Literally. 😳 pic.twitter.com/CjmPJl4rTX
The unexpected incident brought out the caution before leader Corey Heim was able to take the white flag. NASCAR officials displayed the red flag so that the safety crews could bring out the flatbed and remove the rear end housing.
The red flag lasted four minutes and 30 seconds.
Andretti ended the day 31st while Corey Heim won his first race of the season. Taylor Gray, Ty Majeski, Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five after saving enough fuel to reach the end of the race.
MORE: COTA Truck results
The loss of a rear end housing caught the industry off guard, prompting reactions from drivers, fans and crew chiefs alike.
That’s a new one…😳 pic.twitter.com/haGvd90r4Z
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) March 23, 2024
— jesse love jr (@jesselovejr1) March 23, 2024
Put this shot in the hall of fame. I'm speechless lmao pic.twitter.com/nKMBxshsMd
— 👩🏾🚀Astro⁷✨ (@astro_kianna) March 23, 2024
didn’t know boeing had a truck series entry https://t.co/dN0CQdvqE7
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) March 23, 2024
30 years and I can say this is a new one……. Yikes pic.twitter.com/ieUjBCIJJM
— Mike Kelley (@MkelleyJTG) March 23, 2024
The lost rear end housing continues the trend of unexpected moments in Truck Series races. The most prominent example is Bayley Currey’s No. 41 Chevrolet losing its roof at 170 mph during the Truck race at Atlanta in February.
