Everyone has their own way of marking Father’s Day. Some send cards, others spend the day together. Some bring gifts, others simply call their dads to convey their gratitude. Michael Jones had surely hoped to win the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race at South Boston Speedway this past Father’s Day weekend, but instead his dad (and crew chief) ended up pulling him out of a burning wreck.
The incident, according to Speedway Digest and the Gazette-Virginian, happened around halfway through the race when Jones collided with rival driver Matt Bowling. Jones spun out, and his #39 Halifax Insurance car burst into flames.
That might be enough to send most running in the opposite direction, given the presence of flames and combustable gasoline. But all Dean Jones could see, apparently, was his boy in trouble. So he jumped the wall from the pit lane, ran to Mike’s car, and pulled him out as the car was quickly engulfed in flames.
Not to be confused with the Euro Series and Modified Tour that are similarly title-sponsored by the same emergency-equipment manufacturer, the Whelen All-American Series is one of several regional championships that NASCAR sanctions for up-and-coming drivers – several rungs below the Monster Energy Cup, the Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series.
Races take place at tracks across the United States (and Canada, despite the name), giving aspiring drivers the opportunity to advance to the National Championship. (Bowling, with whom Jones collided at South Boston, won the trophy in 2016.)
Watch the manifestation of fatherly love unfold in the video below, and thank your lucky stars that there are fathers like Dean Jones out there to protect their sons.