Elusive groundhog avoids capture, delays NASCAR practice

A wily groundhog delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series practice Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

The groundhog ran onto the racing surface during practice and in attempt to be humane, NASCAR halted the session to allow track workers to safely remove the varmint. But the groundhog didn’t cooperate and proved to be quite elusive.

In a comical sequence that included track workers chasing it around with a shovel and bucket, the groundhog continually avoided capture and at one point even ran and hid underneath a safety vehicle. Even after being initially rounded up, the groundhog didn’t relent, with the cagey critter escaping the clutches of three workers by jumping out of a small bucket and restarting the chase again. (Insert your own Groundhog’s Day joke here.)

After being caught for a second time, the groundhog was then taken by track workers to a wetlands area located across the track where it was safely released. The entire episode caused a 10-minute delay to practice.