senor honda

After the fire, the long walk from the pits to the garage | James Derek Sapienza/Autos Cheat Sheet

By 10 a.m., the rain had stopped and the crowd was beginning to return. We decided to go to the pits to see how the crews were faring after a hard night. Stopping at a checkpoint to show our credentials, we noticed that the 55 car, now in fifth place and climbing, was pulling into the pits.
After walking around through the spectators and speeding carts loaded with new tires and fuel, the crowd fell silent around the Mazda garage and started to part. There was an oil fire in 55’s engine bay, knocking the car out in a plume of black smoke and flames. Luckily no one was hurt. The long walk to the garage looked like a funeral procession, with drivers rolling the car and the crew falling in behind it. To see the beautiful little underdog roll by, its Soul Red paint marred by soot and fire extinguishing powder, was the biggest disappointment of the race.