Zane Smith crash Kansas took center stage on Sunday, when Smith’s car rolled twice before landing upright following a dramatic multi-car accident during overtime at Kansas Speedway, leaving fans and viewers on edge as emergency crews rushed to respond.
As the NASCAR Cup Series race moved into overtime, Smith found himself running side-by-side in the high lane next to his Front Row Motorsports teammate Todd Gilliland. John Hunter Nemechek, approaching quickly, made contact with Smith’s left rear quarter panel while charging down into Turn 3. This contact sent Smith driving up the track, slamming the No. 38 Ford into the SAFER barrier at the exit of Turn 4 and pinning the car against the wall as Nemechek continued to slide into Smith. The crash forced Smith’s car onto its side, where it slid for a considerable distance before flipping over and rolling twice along the banking, eventually stopping on its roof.
After the two rotations, Smith’s Ford came to rest on all four wheels, and he was able to exit the vehicle under his own power. Safety personnel quickly arrived at the scene, with the red flag being displayed at Lap 268, signaling a halt in the event just after its scheduled finish. Smith was taken to the infield care center for evaluation and was later released, as were John Hunter Nemechek and Josh Berry, who were also involved in the accident.
The incident had further consequences for other drivers. As Nemechek’s Legacy Motor Club Toyota bounced off Smith’s car, it spun Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry. While Gibbs was able to continue racing, both Berry and Nemechek suffered too much damage to rejoin the competition. The situation caused significant disruption to the race’s late stages, marking one of the most notable and concerning crashes of the Kansas Speedway event.
With Smith, Nemechek, and Berry cleared by medical staff, attention now turns to how teams and NASCAR officials will respond to the accident’s aftermath. The Zane Smith crash Kansas incident has highlighted ongoing safety conversations surrounding high-speed late-race situations, as drivers, teams, and fans alike reflect on the close calls and the continuing importance of crash safety protocols in major motorsport events.
