As a Nascar driver, you have a ton of things to worry about as you sit in the cockpit of your car.
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There’s the most obvious concern of your fellow drivers who are doing everything they can to make your life hell at 175-mph. Then of course there is flying debris, be it from the race track itself, a fellow car or simply trash swirling through the air.
That may not seem like much, but a plastic bag attaching to your grill could end your race in a matter of minutes.
Needless to say, there’s much more involved with being on a Nascar track than just racing your car. That’s something driver Kevin Harvick can attest to as on Sunday night during the Oral-B USA 500, the popular racer nearly ran over what appears to be a squirrel going into the banking of a turn.
ESPN, who was broadcasting the Nascar race, took notice of the situation and buzzed into Harvick’s radio communications where the driver explained to his crew and spotter that he just nearly missed hitting a cat.
The streaking critter wasn’t a pesky feline however as it was later proven to be a squirrel who decided to risk life and limb (paw?) by darting out on to an active race track.
Squirrel confirmed. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/jleJmtjPiA
— Pat DeCola (@Pat_DeCola) September 1, 2014
Man, did that squirrel have some nuts or what? No, really – was he carrying nuts? You’d think he’d do everything he could to avoid the track and head up into the grandstands but in a panic, shockingly decided to run across the densely populated Atlanta track.
He apparently was not injured, thankfully.