The Crash That Redefined Daytona 500 History

One of the world's top motorsports organizations, NASCAR was founded in 1948 by auto mechanic, and race car driver, Bill France Sr. It has grown from 52 modified dirt track races into a company that has over 1,500 sanctioned races each year, both in the U.S. and abroad. NASCAR, or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is not only the largest governing body for stock car racing in the U.S. but is also one of the largest spectator sports.

The Daytona 500, considered the most prestigious and iconic of the NASCAR series, is one of those races. Also known as "The Great American Race," it is held at the Daytona International Speedway every February since it started in 1959. Some of the best racecar drivers have enjoyed numerous successes at Daytona, drivers like Richard Pettyand Dale Earnhardt Jr. But with success often comes failure and the race has been witness to spectacular tragedies. (For information on another major auto race, see Indy 500 drivers with the most wins.)

To find the most devastating crashes in the history of the Daytona 500, 24/7 Tempo consulted videos from YouTube, Fox Sports, and various auto-racing media such as Motor Digest and various general-interest media to compile its list. There have been other wrecks at the Daytona track besides those during the famed 500 race, but we focused solely on accidents that occurred during the Great American Race.

Pileups involving too many cars forced NASCAR to limit the number of vehicles, and tragedies involving car fires forced the organization to require drivers to wear fire-retardant clothing.Horrific wrecks also have prompted NASCAR to install protective nets in all its racing cars for the safety of drivers and spectators alike.

• Race: Daytona Modified Sportsman Race
• Driver(s) involved: Junior Johnson, Ralph Earnhardt, and Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts

This race had 73 cars lined up at the start. Less than two minutes into the race, with future legends Johnson, Earnhardt, and Roberts in the field, the famed wreck occurred on the fourth turn of the first lap. It's been called the worst wreck in NASCAR history, but amazingly there were no fatalities, just some minor injuries.

• Driver(s) involved: Lee Petty, Banjo Matthews, Johnny Beauchamp

At the Daytona International Speedway, the field was running qualifying races used to determine the starting order for the 500. While leading the field, Banjo Matthews spun out, which started a chain reaction of accidents. Johnny Beauchamp clipped the back of Petty's vehicle, sending both cars up the track.

They hit a guardrail, went through it, and both cars left the track. The two cars became fiery wrecks. Both drivers survived, but Petty was in a coma for four days and in the hospital for four months.

• Driver(s) involved: Maynard Troyer

Maynard Troyer lost control of his car after only nine laps on the second turn in what has been dubbed "the wildest one-car crash in NASCAR history". His Ford flipped 15 times before it came to rest right side up, leaving him with a concussion and minor injuries. Troyer continued to race for several years afterward.

• Driver(s) involved: Richard Petty

Auto racing's "king" was coming out of a turn on lap 106, when he was bumped from behind by Phil Barkdoll. That sent Petty sliding sideways down the track where his car caught air underneath the vehicle, causing it to stand up on its nose. It then slid into the fence where it began rolling along the track.

When what was left of Petty's car finally landed, it was slammed by Brett Bodine, which sent it spinning out of control. Petty suffered temporary blindness from the incident, but was unharmed otherwise.

• Driver(s) involved: Rusty Wallace

Rusty Wallace was bumped from behind by two cars that had gotten tangled and were spinning. The nudge was enough to send Wallace sideways. At that point, his car was lifted, causing him to begin flipping and rolling down the track. Wallace's safety cage prevented him from sustaining serious injuries.

• Driver(s) involved: Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett

Dale Earnhardt was in a six-way fight for the lead with 12 laps to go when disaster struck. His Chevrolet scraped the backstretch wall by itself, and Dale Jarrett's car hit his, sending Ernhardt's vehicle over on its roof. While he was in that position, Ernie Irvan slammed into him, causing the hood of Irvan's Ford to separate and sail into the backstretch grandstand, injuring a few onlookers.

Sitting in an ambulance, Earnhardt saw his car being prepared to get towed away, but he noticed that it still looked drivable – so he hopped out of the ambulance and into the car, drove it to the repair area, got it fixed, and returned to the race – finishing five laps behind.

• Driver(s) involved: Sterling Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart

On the final lap, Dale Earnhardt was attempting to block the rest of the field from catching his son, who was contending for the win. Sterling Marlin hit Earnhardt on the driver's side rear bumper, enough to send him up the track and right into the wall. The crash claimed his life.

The same year, Tony Stewart's Pontiac got batted around, leading to a 19-car accident.

• Driver(s) involved: Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader

Ryan Newman entered the 2003 season as the reigning NASCAR Rookie of the Year, but an accident in the first race of the season started the year off awful. Newman was involved in a crash 56 laps into the race when his car was pushed into the wall by Ken Schrader.

Both cars hit the wall and ended up in the infield, with Newman's car becoming airborne and flipping several times before settling on its roof. The car was destroyed, but Newman walked away without any major injuries.

• Driver(s) involved: Clint Bowyer

As Kevin Harvick overtook Mark Martin in a photo finish to win the race, a series of accidents behind them led to Clint Bowyer's Chevrolet skidding on its roof on fire as it crossed the finish line.

• Driver(s) involved: Joey Logano

Joey Logano, then only 18 years old, smashed into a newly added safety barrier on the inside of the track at a high rate of speed and then spun into the infield. The announcers were at a loss to explain how the accident occurred.

• Driver(s) involved: Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson was jockeying for position during the final laps when he was bumped from behind, sending his car into the catch fence around the track. The impact caused his car to disintegrate and sent his engine block into the grandstands. Fortunately, the engine block missed spectators, but other debris injured race fans.

• Driver(s) involved: Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While driving at 195 mph and in fourth place, Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved down from the top of the track and nudged the car in front of him. It was enough to send him off the track and into a wall and eventually settled in the infield. In the same race, Danica Patrick, the premier female race car driver, was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet that went airborne, though she did not crash.

• Driver(s) involved: Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie

Just one turn separated Ryan Newman from winning his second Daytona 500. The race turned into a major car wreck. Ryan Blaney's surge at the end of the race led to a collision with Newman, who spun back up the track and started flipping.

As this was happening, Corey LaJoie slammed into him on his driver's side and launched him farther down the track. Newman was hospitalized. In all, 19 drivers were involved in the crack-up.