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The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series event held at Naval Base Coronado turned chaotic on Saturday afternoon as spectators witnessed a second red flag period, triggered by a massive accident in turn four with 24 laps left in the race.

Sam Mayer misjudged his entry into the corner and struck the inner wall, sending his car careening into Anthony Alfredo's vehicle beside him. The impact forced both cars violently into the outer barrier. The temporary wall installed for the race shifted nearly a metre from the force of the collision. As the pack had only completed three corners at racing speed, most drivers had no chance to avoid the incident, resulting in a multi-car pileup behind the initial crash.

Upon noticing the extensive damage to the wall, NASCAR officials quickly displayed the red flag, aware that substantial repairs would be necessary at the spot where Mayer and Alfredo had made contact.

Both Mayer and Alfredo were examined and subsequently released from the infield care centre. According to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, Alfredo appeared to be limping after the incident.

In total, 23 cars were recorded as being involved in the crash.

Feeling responsible for the massive wreck, Mayer expressed remorse over the radio, saying, “I'm so sorry, I must be one of the worst race car drivers to ever take part in this sport,” before stepping out of his heavily damaged car.

After being cleared from the medical centre, Alfredo spoke to Bob Pockrass, explaining, “At first, I thought maybe he got pushed in there or something. I have no idea how he came into me like that. We got hit extremely hard, and if the first impact with the wall wasn’t bad enough, when I bounced off, someone slammed into me at full speed. Then I got hit three or four more times — I honestly felt like a pinball. It seemed like the crash would never stop.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added that, from his perspective, the force of the collision caused the steering column in his car to move upward toward the roof, shifting the steering box more than a foot closer to the driver.

The impact caused such severe damage to the barrier that on-site repairs were not possible. Crews were forced to remove and replace the entire damaged section of the wall before the race could continue.