6
03
2010
What are your top 5 worst crashes in nascar?
I think that crashes are what attracts many to NASCAR. They’re high-flying at times, and it helps to broaden the sport. sometimes they get out of hand. What are your top 5 worst? If you have video, paste the url in your answer, this way I can see if I agree with your decision. Thanx
5. Richard Petty at Darlington, 1970.
The legendary 43 Plymouth grazed the wall coming off of Turn 4 — now Turn 2 — and shot across the track to hit the knee-high frontstretch pit wall. The car flipped four times, and old film actually shows an unconscious King Richard being flung in and out of the window, all the way up to his waist. Legendary motorsports writer Tom Higgins was strolling out of the media center when a chunk of concrete whizzed past his ear.
Somehow The King came out of his barrel roll without a scratch. But NASCAR had seen enough of arms and heads poking their way out of car windows, pointing to Petty’s wreck as a reason to finally mandate window netting for all drivers.
4. Bobby Allison at Talladega, 1987.
A blown tire at 200 miles per hour sent Allison into the air and into the frontstretch catchfence nose-first. Allison suffered leg injuries but was amazingly back in the car later that year. The real miracle was that the car didn’t fly into the stands, although flying debris injured a handful of race fans.
Again, learning from near-tragedy, NASCAR used Allison’s wreck as its basis for introducing the controversial horsepower-clogging restrictor plate, which is still in use today at Talladega and Daytona.
2 & 3. Michael Waltrip and Mike Harmon at Bristol, 1990 and 2002.
The fact that these two Busch Series wrecks are nearly identical is more frightening than it is amazing. Both hit the same space in the Turn 2 wall where a crossover gate opens and closes, leaving a gap in the concrete wall for the steel door. Both drivers managed to rip their cars completely in half. And amazingly, both drivers stood up and walked away, shaken but not hurt.
Harmon’s wreck gets the edge on this list because of Johnny Sauter’s near miss as Harmon sat helplessly exposed on the track. “I knew Sauter came close to me,” Harmon said one week later, “But I didn’t realize he came within inches until I saw the replay.”
GALLERY: Click here for more photos of Harmon’s wreck.
1. Geoffrey Bodine, Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona, 2000.
( / Associated Press)
The beginning looked like Allison’s Talladega wreck as Bodine went airborne into the frontstretch fence with a violent helicopter motion. The middle portion looked like Petty’s wreck at Darlington as Bodine tumbled down the track, and you could actually see his arms as they flailed about. The end resembled the two Bristol wrecks as the chassis, totally barren of sheet metal, sat smoking in the infield grass.
Like them all, fans were left jaw-dropped, certain that the worst had happened to the driver inside. But once again, it hadn’t.
“I used to always say that I held the record for the worst-looking wreck ever,” Waltrip said two years ago after eye-witnessing Harmon’s crash. “Then I had to admit that Bodine’s was probably even worse. Mike may have topped both of us. The good news is that we are all here to talk about and laugh about it.”
duh-huh …Dale Sr.???? lol
I would agree with Micky’s wreck in Bristol and the King had one in Daytona during the 400 in the mid to late 90′s, where his car barrel rolled down the front stretch and came apart. Dale Srs. wreck in Talladaga where he was rolling and on fire. Bobby Allison getting into the fence at Daytona( the reason we have restrictor plates). Neil Bonnett’s wreck during practice at Daytona.
I only have three that come to mind right now and if I’m wrong about any part of them I know someone will correct me!
1. Geoffery Bodine’s wreck in the Truck series. I actually thought for awhile that there was no way he could live threw that! I thought it was at Homestead. Right in front of the starters stand. The motor was thrown out of the truck.
2. Talladega; Ward Burton gets off the apron on the back stretch. As he comes back onto the track he runs into Bill Elliott who forces Dale Sr. into the wall. What a mess, Bill’s car was upside down on top of Dale Sr. roof on fire when they got stopped. I think Dale Sr. got burnt! Ward apologized to everyone after the race!!
3. Years ago I remember this driver J D Mcduffy who raced in Nascar. He was a very nice man. Not a top notch driver, but could be there because he was oil rich. He got his car upside down on top of the guardrail. One of the post that held the guard rail in place went throw the roof of his car and he died of head injuries. Sorry, I don’t remember the date or the track!
I’m sure there were a lot more.
Dale Sr. wreck at Datona that cost him his life was not spectacular to me. But I know it will go down in the history of Nascar as the wreck that had the most impact on the sport!!
You are obsessed with crashes in Nascar,what a way to enjoy a sport.The only thing these crashes prove is the poor quality of the builders.
dale sr.!!!
One of the worst I have ever seen was the one where Rusty rolled over about 25 times at Talladega. Or at least that what it seemed like.
Dale Sr. /Adam Petty /Ernie Irvan / B. Allison;Live at that one,
Ryan Newman,a few yrs. back,[must see]
I would have to say the first race?
It was with variety of cars…
like 68 cars in the pack
where coming around to compete the 1st lap like all but 10 or 12 cars are left untouched… that geoffrey bodine… and michael waltrip at bristol and mike harmon i cant believe that guy survived….moments in nascar…good thing it is safe now
I used to think the two crashes Elliott Sadler was in at Talladega were the worst I’d seen, but I stumbled upon some rather chilling footage the other night on YouTube.
Mine (in ascending order):
1) JH- it was Watkins Glen (of all places) in 1990 where Mc Duffie died.
2) Bobby Allison flying into the catch fence. That’s be like being strapped to a missile.
3) Dale Earnhardt’s crash in the #15 Wrangler’s Chevy. Forget where- but it was early in his career.
4) The aforementioned Petty crash was spectacular in a macabre sort of way.
5)Ok, so it wasn’t NASCAR, and it wasn’t in a race, but for sheer jaw-dropping sadness- the ARCA practice at Charlotte in 2002 where Deborah Renshaw t-boned Eric Martin at 160 mph, is the most chilling thing I’ve ever seen. Imagine you spin your car out in practice. 3 cars swerve to avoid you successfully. You radio our crew chief thinking everything’s o.k. and a car comes out of nowhere and just plows you at full speed. There was no spotter present to warn Renshaw of what she discovered too late. She busted up her ankle and Martin didn’t have a chance. It’s the damndest thing I’ve ever seen.
the chilling acident i’ve seen was the dale sr. accident. it sent me chills and i felt sad. I watched “3″.
Jeff Gordon- Pocono, Turn 1, I believe, 2006 June Race I think it was.
Ryan Newman and or Steve Park- I think at Daytona, they flipped and went up into the air and flipped like 6 or 7 times in the air.
Those two are the only really really intense ones I can think of.
Actually, the one involving David Pearson I think the one wear he went up onto the fence and flipped and they ended up delaying the race for like 3 hours to fix the fence surrounding the track, due to the accident having to repair it.
1. Geoffrey Bodine’s CTS fireball in 2000
2. Ricky Rudd’s 80s crash where his arm was out the window back in the ’80s
3. Jimmie Johnson’s head-on collision with the barrier at WG in 1998
4. Jeff Fuller’s side-impact with the Kentucky concrete in 2006
5. Russel Phillips’s fatal side-ride in 1995 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExPOQNT5UUo