DOVER, Del. — Fox Sports NASCAR pit reporter Amanda Busick said pit crew member Donovan Williams “saved my life” Friday at Dover Motor Speedway after a frightening runaway pit cart incident.
After the NASCAR Truck Series qualifier at Dover, Busick was walking along the back of pit road when a runaway pit cart weighing approximately 4,000 pounds barreled down a hill directly toward her. Williams reacted quickly and jumped in front of Busick to shield her, putting his body between her and the cart as they hit the ground.
Williams, a Hendrick Motorsports pit crew member and former UConn football player who was working as a tire changer for Spire Motorsports’ Truck team Friday, bore the brunt of the impact and was hospitalized with minor injuries.
“You see it all happening in slow motion, but super-fast,” Busick told The Athletic. “I could see the cart coming; I could see, who I now know is Donovan Williams, trying to brace the cart, but it just had so much speed. There was no way that he could keep up with it.
“This all happened in probably less than half a second, maybe a second. And Donovan, in his attempt to shield me, we kind of got collected and then would have been pushed, I don’t know, I’d say probably five to 10 feet together with the cart behind him and him on me.
“That guy saved my life.”
Spire crew member Donovan Williams was treated and released Saturday after suffering minor injuries while saving our own @AmandaBusick from a runaway pit box in Dover. pic.twitter.com/evWuZQMRWI
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 16, 2026
Williams was released from the hospital on Friday night after suffering a laceration to his right buttock that was so deep it was squirting blood, which caused him to feel lightheaded, along with severe road rash to his right hand.
All X-rays came back negative, and he can walk. Doctors told Williams they expect him to make a full recovery.
When Williams spoke to The Athletic on Saturday, he paused when asked what it was like to be called a “hero.”
“Whether it was just a matter of circumstance, I just reacted in the situation, went with it and was hoping for the best,” he said. “Everyone was saying it kind of ran over me and clipped me as I moved Amanda out the way and fell on her kind of simultaneously. I’m just feeling very, very blessed because that was a situation that could have been a lot worse if it had hit me a couple inches in any other direction.”
Bystanders immediately jumped to check on Busick and Williams. She was evaluated and released from the care center onsite at Dover. She sustained a hyperextended knee, sore shoulder, and some cuts and bruises.
Although Fox Sports wanted her to use the remainder of the day to recover, she insisted on covering the truck race later that day. She thought doing her job would serve as a good distraction.
Like Busick, Williams recognized just how close things were to turning out far worse.
“What happened (Friday) was really traumatic,” Williams said. “Definitely one of the scariest moments of my life, just because I didn’t know exactly what the outcome was. When I was there after all the chaos kind of settled, I definitely felt some of the worst pain I’d ever felt.”
Still, he said he considers himself fortunate that neither he nor Busick was seriously hurt. It helped that Williams is 6-foot-3 and weighs 240 pounds — the body of a former high-level college football player. He spent four seasons with the UConn Huskies between 2016 and ’19, suiting up at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.
“I’ve dealt with football injuries, but this was real trauma,” Williams said. “Definitely a very scary moment, probably one of the scariest moments I’ve ever had.”
Just before Williams was discharged Friday night, Busick arrived to express her gratitude.
“We gave each other a big hug,” Busick said. “And I don’t want to be overly dramatic on things, but I truly don’t know what would have happened to me if Donovan wasn’t in front of that cart. I hate(that) him and I share this moment, but I’m glad that we both get to walk away from it.”
The Hendrick organization flew Williams and his mother — who lives just a few hours away in Northern Virginia, and came to the hospital Friday — back to Williams’ home in North Carolina. In addition to Busick, he has had several notable well-wishers who’ve reached out to commend him for his actions, including team owner Rick Hendrick and vice chairman Jeff Gordon.
“I’m feeling extremely blessed,” Williams said. “I just want to thank God and thank everyone that was there in support and willing to assist me and my family. I’m super grateful and appreciative for all the support across the board.”
Busick is not yet home, but in Joliet, Ill., to cover the NHRA race there as a member of the Fox Sports broadcast team. During her flight to Chicago on Saturday morning, she reflected for the first time about all that transpired the previous day and said she became emotional.
“We live in very fast-paced, dream-worthy environments, and I’m so grateful and feel so lucky to be part of it all,” Busick said. “So just to have a moment of, ‘Wow, like your life truly can flash in front of your eyes,’ it is a vivid, vivid memory, that’s for sure.
“Life comes at you fast.”
