Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself battling more than the competition on Sunday at Talladega — when his steering wheel came off and he was forced to guide his car briefly by holding the steering column with his left hand.
Earnhardt said the wheel incident happened after he had repairs for an early accident and returned to the track. He would later crash out of the race, but the final accident was not his fault.
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Speaking after being caught up in a second crash, this time with Carl Edwards, Earnhardt said his steering wheel had come off during an earlier caution period. The Fox broadcast showed in-car footage of Junior steering with his hand, and then putting the wheel back on.
Yikes! @DaleJr controls the car WITH HIS HAND after his steering wheel comes off. That was awesome. #NASCAR https://t.co/KivxuTmuvG
— FOX SPORTS: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 1, 2016
"It come off," he said of the steering wheel. "Luckily it was under caution. I just grabbed the shaft and steered the car that way. I ripped the skin off my hand but I wasn't going to let it hit the wall.
"That was just a freak deal. We didn't get the steering wheel on when we got back in the car to get back out there. We're working on something to keep that from happening going forward."
Earnhardt got out of the car after the early crash while his Hendrick Motorsports team made heavy repairs. Steering wheels on stock cars detach so drivers can get in or out of the tight-fitting racing seat.
It was the second time a steering wheel came off on a Hendrick driver this season. Jimmie Johnson's steering wheel came off during practice at Phoenix.