WATCH: NASCAR pace car crashes into sand barrels at Phoenix

Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix saw a strange incident as the Pace Car crashed into sand barrels. The Phoenix Raceway hosted the final race of the 2024 Cup Series season, and it came to a brief half after a not-so-fine incident involving the pace car.

Lap 69 of the race brought an awkward moment for fans and officials after the Toyota Camry pace car hit the sandbag kept at the entrance of the pit road to avoid a dangerous collision.

The pace car was leading the pack to green after the first stage break. While it was supposed to take an entry to the pit road and allow the cars to start racing, the pace car waited too long. After a while, it bailed out of the pack and tried to enter the pit road, but it was too late.

Here's a video of the incident:

The Toyota Camry knocked the first sand barrel off, scattering sand all over the pit road entrance. NASCAR immediately stopped the race to clear out all the sand and put the barrel in its place. The car and the pace car driver avoided a major crash as the Camry suffered a minor dent on the right backside.

NASCAR immediately deployed another pace car that was on standby. The delay caused by the pace car lasted about 10 minutes before the drivers started racing again. Ryan Blaney of Team Penske claimed the Stage Two win ahead of Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing and teammate Joey Logano.

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Joey Logano clinched NASCAR Cup Series title ahead of teammate Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates after winning - Source: Imagn

Joey Logano fended off the challenges by his teammate Ryan Blaney to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The Team Penske driver was ahead by one-third of a second at the finish line to take home his third NASCAR title.

Logano and Blaney were in firm contention for the ultimate glory throughout the race. While William Byron and Tyler Reddick made cameos, it was all about the Team Penske drivers, especially Logano, who started his race from second place and led the final 63 laps to take the victory home.

"I love the playoffs," Logano told the media following the race. "What a race. What a Team Penske battle there at the end. This is special. What a team to fight through the day. I got the best team. We are well rounded and can make things happen when it matters."

With the title, Roger Penske's team clinched three back-to-back titles through Logano in 2022, Blaney in 2023, and Logano again in 2024. Byron of Hendrick Motorsports finished as second runners-up.