Ryan Briscoe of Australia, driver of the #6 Team Penske Dallara Honda, leads the field into turn one on the first lap of the IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway June 5, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. (credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Witnesses at the Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday said a brake pad from Race Car #77 flew from the track into an eighth-floor window in the Speedway Club, injuring two men.
Speedway officials called it a “freak accident,” and added that it isn’t something that happens often.
Eyewitness Linda Gregoire said it happened seconds after the NASCAR Sprint Car race ended. According to officials, the pad became dislodged from the vehicle and flew more than 100 feet upward.
Gregoire said one of the men “was holding his chest” and another man had glass lodged in his throat.
“Everyone thought it was a gunshot,” Gregoire said. “It scared the thunder out of us.”
Still hot from the vehicle, the pad burned a hole in the Speedway Club carpet. “Some of the waitresses had glass on their trays,” Gregoire said excitedly. “It was very scary.”
One man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The others were treated at the scene with minor cuts and bruises.
Speedway officials said they would meet with NASCAR Monday morning to see how the incident happened and figure out ways to prevent similar incidents in the future.
