NASCAR Truck bursts into flames in terrifying incident during practice

Wesley Slimp's long-awaited NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut came to a smoked-up and fiery halt on Friday afternoon when his No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota caught fire during a practice session for the LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park.

The 22-year-old was finding rhythm at the road course in Salisbury, Connecticut, when flames began pouring from his truck's left front fender around the session's midpoint. The fire and thick smoke clouds were visible on the FS2 broadcast as Slimp clocked competitive laps during his first official practice with NASCAR's Truck series.

With smoke nearly vanishing, the front of his vehicle, Slimp quickly pulled off the course and jumped out as his crew rushed to help extinguish the flames. On-site safety personnel swarmed the pit road scene and were able to control the fire.

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Slimp later confirmed that the cause was a puncture in the oil cooler, triggering a fluid burnoff and mechanical failure that led to the blaze. Commentators also speculated that Slimp might have unintentionally contributed to the malfunction by downshifting early or engaging the truck improperly with the active brake lock system.

Slimp quickly exited the car as the red flag waved shortly after, which paused the session and added 15 minutes to the allotted practice window. At the time of the incident, Slimp had completed 16 laps and posted the 11th-best 10-lap average, putting him just behind former actor Frankie Muniz and model, influencer, and driver Toni Breidinger. Muniz ran a session-high 33 laps.

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Jordan Taylor saw a top speed of 98.363 mph, followed closely by Brent Crews at 98.216 mph and Kaden Honeycutt at 98.207 mph. Corey Heim and Grant Enfinger also delivered strong results, with speeds of 97.769 mph and 97.550 mph.

Spencer Boyd recorded the slowest time of the session at 92.847 mph. Despite the setback, Slimp went on Instagram to tell his fans that it won't prevent him from making his Truck Series debut.

"We finished up practice today at Lime Rock. Unfortunately, a puncture in the oil cooler caused a substantial fire. We have to go to a backup truck, but I appreciate the effort by the team to get us ready and sorted out for qualifying tomorrow."

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Before transitioning to NASCAR, the Tennessee native built a strong reputation in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, where he earned three career wins and emerged as one of North America's most promising young sports car drivers. He'll now look to reset and regroup ahead of qualifying, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and will air on FS1. The LiUNA 150 is set for 1 p.m., leading into NASCAR's Quaker State 400 Cup Series event under the lights at 7 p.m.