Stewart, Patrick wreck in Sprint Cup practice at Dover – Nascar

RELATED: Full results from opening practice

DOVER, Del. — Only four minutes into NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series opening practice on Friday at Dover International Speedway, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray all had single-car wrecks — a result of a gear failure on Patrick’s car that collected the other two drivers when her car left oil on the 1-mile racing surface.

The Stewart-Haas Racing team — that fields Patrick’s and Stewart’s cars — confirmed the accident was because of a gear failure on Patrick’s No. 10 Nature’s Bakery/Autism Delaware Chevrolet, which hit both the outside and inside walls as flames came out from the rear of the car.

Both Stewart and McMurray, who were behind Patrick on the track, ran over the oil, spinning and also hitting both walls hard. All three cars came to rest on the frontstretch within yards of one another, and Patrick climbed out of her car to check on Stewart.

Even a member of the safety crew that responded to the accidents slipped on the oil and fell hard to the track surface as he came over to survey the situation.

Neither McMurray nor Stewart, who is making his fourth start this season after missing the first eight races due to a back injury, spoke to reporters after emerging from the care center.

McMurray held his left arm as he left the medical building, and his team said he was icing the arm during the red flag stoppage, at one point unsure whether he’d return for what was left of the delayed practice. He did go into the garage to look over his backup car as practice resumed — but was not extended — and ultimately McMurray turned 13 laps in his backup car.

Patrick spoke briefly after being examined and released from the care center.

“It was very early in practice,” Patrick said. “Obviously, there was oil, a fire and the car spun and was caught by the wall. I’m not sure what happened, but this is obviously not something we normally see. You don’t see a lot of failures like that. I’m sure they will figure out what it is.

“It sucks when it takes other people with you.”

The SHR team used the red flag stoppage time to change the gear system on all four of its Chevrolets.

Another SHR car driven by Kurt Busch also suffered a gear problem minutes before the three-car incident, but Busch was already headed to the garage.

“I got lucky, honestly,” said Busch, who made only three laps before bringing his No. 41 car back into the garage. “I was feeling something all along with the rear gear, the drive train. … There was something that was feeling weird, so I came in. I got lucky.”

SHR’s Vice President of Competition Greg Zipadelli said the team had begun using a different manufacturer for its gears, and wanted to be proactive in changing the system out immediately on all four cars.

All the cars involved in the early accident did return to the track to turn a handful of laps when the practice session resumed.

Teams considered the track time to be especially vital with questionable weather approaching and qualifying set for later in the afternoon.

The field for Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism would be set according to practice speeds should weather affect the qualifying session.