For One Perfect Moment, NASCAR Does Gymnastics

In August of last year, NASCAR chaos came to Pocono Raceway. Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford, ran over his pit crew. Or, more precisely, he ran through his pit crew, sending jacks and tires and grown men flying through the air like very unhappy confetti. Luckily, both crewmen were uninjured. They even managed to complete the stop, though the team did have to serve a penalty for an “uncontrolled tire on a pit road.” Once airborne, tires usually are.

Look at the poses, though. Up front, one crewman looks like he’s about to execute the finest, most air-heavy, Cops-style over-the-hood hop ever. Or, perhaps, release a streaming jet of spider web from his wrist and swing over the Chrysler Building. Alongside, the other crew is midway through a leaping kick that even Bruce Lee would respect. The incredible angle of his legs, the height, the prop: the good ladies of Cardio Kickboxing at the Y would nod in spandex-swaddled approval. It’s always nice when a racing accident is more goofy than gruesome.