NASCAR driver makes a pit stop at Panda Express during Daytona 500 rain delay

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 2021 Daytona 500 was halted not long after it started Sunday afternoon, and one driver made the most of his down time.

First, there was a massive, 16-car wreck that unfolded after just 14 of 200 scheduled laps at Daytona International Speedway, and it eliminated several key drivers, including pole-winner Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman and Daniel Suárez.

Of course, the caution flag came out for the crash. But then one lap later, NASCAR threw the red flag to press pause on the season-opening race because of lightning and rain, significantly delaying the event because of the time it takes to dry the track.

And apparently, NASCAR Cup Series rookie Chase Briscoe got a little hungry during the delay. The driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford made a trip to Panda Express during the rain delay, according to a funny photo of him in the drive-thru that his wife, Marissa Briscoe, tweeted.

The best part? Chase clearly didn’t even bother to ditch his fire suit before getting a quick snack.

Not sure Panda Express is the best choice when there are still about 462 miles left in the day’s race — weather permitting, obviously. But maybe Briscoe will pick up a new sponsor because of this mid-race pit stop.