NASCAR driver Akinori Ogata’s truck catches fire during practice round


Friday’s practice round for driver Akinori Ogata didn’t go as planned.

The Japanese driver’s No. 46 Toyota caught fire while preparing for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

As Ogata headed into Turn 3, the truck began to smoke. After a while the truck was engulfed in flames.

Ogata was finally able to bring the truck to a halt as warning flags flew over the course in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

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Akinori Ogata truck fire

Kyowa Idemirror #46 drives in flames following an on-track accident during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2023/ Asian Pacific Toyota driver Akinori Ogata (North Wilkesboro, May 19, 2023) (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Ogata was able to get off immediately after the truck stopped. It doesn’t look like he was seriously injured.

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Ambulance crews confirmed Ogata’s safety and extinguished the fire.

#46 Akinori Ogata

Kyowa Idemirror #46 drives in flames following an on-track accident during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2023/ Asian Pacific Toyota driver Akinori Ogata (North Wilkesboro, May 19, 2023) (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Ogata’s team, G2G Racing, posted on Twitter that he was “examined and released from the infield care center.”

The damaged truck was then towed off the tracks.

Akinori Ogata at Martinsville Speedway

Akinori Ogata takes the stage during the pre-race ceremony ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead on Tool 250 on October 30, 2021 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. (Logan Riley/Getty Images)

The cause of the fire is unknown, but one commentator theorized that “the oil line . . . must have broken, or simply become loose.”

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Earlier this season, Ogata finished 17th at G2G Racing’s Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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