With an assist from Richard Childress Racing, the Furniture Row Racing team has rebounded from a highway accident in which the transporter and motorcoach for the NASCAR Sprint Cup team were heavily damaged. Team general manager Joe Garone said that all systems are in place for this weekend's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The accident, which involved 34 vehicles on an icy Interstate 25, occurred Monday at approximately 8:40 a.m. near Larkspur, Colo., 40 miles south of the team's race shop in Denver. The Furniture Row vehicles were returning from Sunday's Cup race in Phoenix.
The two Furniture Row racecars for this weekend's Cup event will be transported from the race shop to south Florida in the team's test transporter. Once the test transporter arrives at Homestead-Miami Speedway, RCR will provide the team with a fully loaded racing transporter to support the No. 78 Furniture Row entry, driven by Regan Smith (ABOVE).
"Words cannot describe how grateful we are to Richard Childress Racing for immediately stepping up and offering its support," said Garone. "Furniture Row Racing also wants to extend a sincere thank you to the NASCAR community for the outpouring of support we have received since the accident. It has been overwhelming and truly shows the spirit of brotherhood that embodies our sport."
The team's transportation drivers – John Slingerland, Dennis LaCroix and Gary Miller – escaped serious injuries and all have returned to the Denver area. The damaged motorcoach and transporter, which housed the two Phoenix racecars and racing equipment, have been towed to an impound lot.
Garone praised Miller, in particular, for quick reactions that kept the accident from having a much worse outcome
"Our tractor/trailer averted head-on collisions and our motorcoach driver, Gary Miller, put his life on the line when he made a split-second decision to ram into the back end of the team's trailer instead of running over cars," explained Garone. "It was a brave move that most likely avoided serious injuries to others. If you saw the aftermath of the motorcoach, you would know what I mean."