The NASCAR Cup Series season is heating up, and drivers all around the order are looking to punch their tickets to the playoffs. Road course expert Shane van Gisbergen has won the last two races at Chicago and Sonoma, but unfortunately all attendees of the most recent race were not able to leave unscathed.

During a caution with 13 laps to go last Sunday, Spire Motorsports driver Justin Haley inadvertently ran into a rabbit, killing it.

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“Oh God, I just hit a bunny,” Haley said on the radio while finishing his lap in the car.

“I can’t believe I killed a bunny. Oh, I feel horrible. He was running so fast.”

The rabbit is unfortunately the third animal to die on the track in NASCAR this season, coming after two other incidents earlier in the year.

Josh Berry hit a bird in Talladega back in April, smashing into the animal as he approached the start-finish line. In June, Ty Dillon hit a squirrel as he attempted to pit at Michigan.

“I think I just murdered a squirrel getting into my damn pit box,” Dillon said, prompting a scream heard over the radio from one of his Kaulig Racing team members.

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The Cup Series will be back in familiar territory for its next race after multiple weeks of road courses. Ovals are back on the menu at Dover this weekend, and both the Xfinity and Cup Series will be in action.

The Xfinity Series will take center stage on Saturday afternoon for the BetRivers 200. Justin Allgaier enters as the series leader, with a 59 point advantage over Sam Mayer. Other notable names near the top of the standings include Austin Hill and Connor Zilisch.

The Cup Series will close out the weekend on Sunday with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. A trio of Hendrick Motorsports drivers leads the standings – William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson – with the Toyotas of Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin in behind.

Four playoff spots remain, and Reddick is the highest-ranking driver without a win this season. We’ll see if he can punch his ticket into the Round of 16 this fall with a victory at Dover.

Hopefully, no animals will be killed in the process.

Three Animals Have Died at NASCAR Tracks During 2025 Season first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 15, 2025