The Biggest Crashes In NASCAR History: A Retrospective
by Richard Janvrin,
July 07, 2025
Whenever we visit NASCAR betting sites to place a wager on a race, there is a small part of us that is anticipating a wreck in a NASCAR race. No, we don’t want anyone to get hurt, but the potential for a wreck or crash does make the race that much more exciting.
Over the years, there have been some incredible massive crashes, from multi-car pileups, to fans being injured, and sadly, some fatalities.
Below, I’ll examine the biggest crash in NASCAR history and look at others that also qualify as a big-time NASCAR accident.
Let’s dive in.
- Dale Earnhardt’s Fatal Crash
- Bobby Allison at Talladega (1987)
- Michael Waltrip at Bristol in 1990
- Austin Dillon at Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
- Ryan Newman at 2020 Daytona 500
- Bobby Myers Death at the Southern 500
Dale Earnhardt’s Fatal Crash
It’s impossible to talk about the biggest crash in NASCAR history without mentioning Earnhardt.
A 7-time Winston Cup Series Champion, Earnhardt was involved in a last-lap collision at the 2001 Daytona 500 with Ken Schrader and Sterling Martin.
At first, the crash didn’t look all too bad.
He was attempting to block other cars but made contact with one. This resulted in him hitting the retaining wall head-on, going about 155 miles per hour.
Again, the footage of the crash doesn’t look too bad, but it turns out that, on impact, Earnhardt suffered a fatal basilar skull fracture.
Earnhardt passed away as a result of the crash.
This led to NASCAR implementing new rules, including mandatory use of the HANS device and SAFER barriers.
The HANS device, short for Head and Neck Support, is a device used to prevent head and neck injuries during crashes.
As for SAFER barriers, short for Steel and Foam Energy Reduction, these are designed to absorb and reduce the kinetic energy in high-speed crashes.
It may not have been the largest crash in NASCAR history in terms of wreckage, but this is a NASCAR crash that’ll be ingrained in the memories of fans forever.
Bobby Allison at Talladega (1987)
In the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Bobby Allison had one of the most horrific crashes seen in NASCAR history. Coincidentally, this was the same race that his son, Davey Allison, would win.
Not only did Davey win, but it was his first-ever victory. During it, his dad’s car went airborne at about 210 miles per hour. It tore through some fencing, he lost his engine, and his right rear tire was cut by debris.
The crash happened on Lap 22. It led to a red flag, and it took about two hours for repairs to happen for the race to resume.
Allison’s crash led to NASCAR implementing restrictor plates. These are designed to limit the amount of air flowing into the engine. These reduce horsepower and overall top speed.
There may not be a more horrific-looking NASCAR crash in history.
Thankfully, Allison was OK.
Michael Waltrip at Bristol in 1990
In NASCAR, the slightest bumps can alter the entire complexity of a race, and that may be no more true than in the 1990 race at Bristol.
In the race, Waltrip came off Turn 2. He was to the back right of Robert Pressley, and Waltrip’s front left end was bumped.
This led to Waltrip hitting the guardrail. It gave way, though, and he smacked into the end of the concrete wall, and his car just exploded on impact.
After the impact, Waltrip recalled Earnhardt coming up to him and complimenting him, calling him a “tough son of a *****.”
Despite how brutal this NASCAR crash looked, Waltrip was completely unfazed. He didn’t know why everyone was so worried until he saw the video for himself.
Austin Dillon at Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
With so many modern safety rules in place, drivers have thankfully been safer, even if we witnessed what could be considered the largest crash in NASCAR history.
Well, in 2015, the crash involving Austin Dillon at the Coke Zero 400 certainly put that to the test.
The crash happened in the final lap. His No. 3 was caught in a massive multi-car accident. It resulted in Dillon’s car flipping mid-air into the outside catch fence.
The crash appeared to be fatal. Fellow racers were terrified of what could’ve been the result of it. Jimmie Johnson was shocked that Dillon was even alive.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of Earnhardt Sr., who passed away as mentioned above, was terrified, too. He mentioned that he was nearly on the verge of tears. He said that the crash scared him and, despite winning the race, wasn’t even concerned with it after witnessing what happened to Dillon.
About 13 fans had to seek medical attention, and Dillon was more concerned for them than himself.
He mentioned that NASCAR needed to do something more to protect fans and potentially race with slower speeds. That’s fair to say after what could be viewed as the largest crash in nascar history
Ryan Newman at 2020 Daytona 500
On Feb. 17, 2020, Ryan Newman had the lead on the final corner of the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500. He took the lead over Denny Hamlin, and before he knew it, he was tapped from behind by Ryan Blaney, and his car flipped mid-air and scraped across the ground. To add, Corey LaJoie’s car hit Newman, going about 200 miles per hour.
This caused sparks to fly, the car caught fire, and gasoline was seen leaking out of the car.
Newman was unresponsive after the crash. It took about 15 minutes to get him out of the car and into an ambulance.
Newman did suffer serious injuries, but none were life-threatening. Newman had no broken bones, but it was later revealed he had a brain bruise and was knocked out cold.
He returned to racing later that year despite being involved in what some consider the biggest crash in NASCAR history.
Bobby Myers Death at the Southern 500
At the Southern 500 in 1957, there was a crash involving Fonty Flock, Bobby Myers, and Herb Thomas.
The crash happened on Lap 27 as Flock, who was driving Herb Thomas’s No. 92, spun and stopped on the track in Turn 3. Going full speed, Goldsmith and Myers both hit Flock. Goldsmith and Flock both suffered serious injuries. Flock’s career was over, but the crash killed Myers.
The cars were thrown about 200 feet on impact. As far as a NASCAR pile up goes, few are more impactful than this, as it was seriously impactful to the sport.
Of course, this was before many of the modern technologies and safety precautions we have today.