Bill Murray's Fiery Truck Crash in the Quarry in Movie "Groundhog Day"-- Part 1: It Was a Chevy S-10

From the Feb. 2, 2018, Rockford Star  "William Charles Construction employees recall  'Groundhog Day' scenes  filmed at workplace as movie turns 25" by Adam Poulisse.

Filming took place over several weeks in the early spring of 1992 at Nimtz Quarry on Nimtz Road near Loves Park, Illinois.   The majority of the movie was shot at nearby Woodstock.

"Everyday it was something different," according to William Butt, who worked as an electrician   at the William Charles Construction Co., which mined the Nimtz Quarry from the 1940s to 2011 and still operates at the site.

The Rock River Valley and quarry can only be seen for a few minutes after Phil steals the groundhog and gets chased out to the quarry where he crashes the truck.

William Butt's job during the filming was to shoot behind-the-scenes footage for his company.  He used a camcorder and camera for the job.

Two different Chevy S-10 trucks were used.  A rail system was used to make it look like the trucks were actually being driven.  For the crash, the engine of the truck was removed.  Of course, neither Bill Murray or the groundhog were in the vehicle when it crashed.

When it landed, pyrotechnics were applied for the fiery explosion.  There was a local fire crew stationed at the bottom of the pit, but off camera.

"Now, Don't Drive Angry."  --RoadHog