A Closer Look at NASCAR's Most HORRIFIC Wreck

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Geoff Bodine's horrendous accident at the 2000 Daytona 250 had more significant implications than just an absolutely jaw-dropping turn of events. The false sense of security created by the wreck led NASCAR executives to believe that their cars were safe, leading to an even more heartbreaking tragedy precisely one year later.
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Video Credits:
NascarAllOut
OnTheGas
NASCAR
NASCAR Media Group
Fox Sports NASCAR
ESPN
Brock Beard
SMIFF TV
John Snyder
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[@thewheelspinreport]

To be continued...

[@justcallmeBIG_L]

someone is gonna get rear-ended coming off pit road at Daytona next year, and they will get hurt. the next gen car is gonna end up like the cot.

[@noahcoleman5556]

You know it's bad when all the commentators are silent besides the occasional "oh my," and then when it's over, their first sentence is: "Keep your fingers crossed."

[@brentweir4651]

Right?! That, and the quiet "Oh my".

[@warnabrotha95YT]

You knew it was gonna be bad when he said "This is gonna hurt." Right at impact.

[@briantaylor9285]

You know it's REALLY bad when the helicopter is summoned.

[@benjaminvattimo3252]

when they don't chuckle a little bit or start discussing why the wreck happened you know it's bad

[@TheBigDawgSL]

Ranks up there with Bob Jenkins saying "oh shit"

[@Jelsick]

Geoffrey Bodine was on Dale Jr's podcast and described seeing his deceased father after the wreck, who told him it wasn't his time to die. No it wasn't.

[@thewheelspinreport]

Absolutely incredible. I watched that episode and it was truly incredible all the things Bodine has done since the wreck.

[@tomt9543]

@@thewheelspinreport Absolutely one of the best Dale Jr. episodes! I gained a lot of respect for Bodine watching that episode! Watching the reach that day, I thought he might have survived the initial impact, but there was no way he could have survived all the other impacts!

[@VampireYoshi]

Something similar happened to A.J. Foyt at Elkhart Lake in 1990.

[@jtowe70]

Crazy how he lived

[@RVAMotorsports]

I like that you brought up earnhardt's wreck but didn't feel forced to show the footage. We've all seen it many times

[@thewheelspinreport]

Very true, Chris.

[@HayTatsuko]

I also like that he showed the 1996 DieHard 500 wreck -- the one that proved that what came to be called the Earnhardt Bar really was effective at protecting the car's pilot from a collision to the windscreen. It still boggles my mind that Dale was able to _walk away_ -- albeit gingerly -- from that awful accident, despite what turned out to be serious chest and back injuries.

[@Rosher18]

Yeah, I watched that wreck live on TV at the tender age of 10. It wasn't an easy thing to swallow and I think about how far NASCAR has come every time I watch a race or footage from one.

[@mostlymotiongraphics2134]

Am I wrong for being angry about Earnhardt's death? The technology to keep him safe existed but he wasn't required to use it. I haven't looked into it any more than I have to, but this is the impression I have.

[@jah24car]

@@mostlymotiongraphics2134 from what I heard or read was he refused to wear it and it wasn't mandatory I feel like if it was forced to wear he'd retired probably

[@ryansheehan9462]

I very clearly remember coming home from school that Friday to find my mother sitting in front of the TV fighting back tears. Confused, I turned and looked at the screen as the shell of Bodine’s truck sat burning in the middle of the track. That was a scene I will never forget.

[@thewheelspinreport]

Holy moly man. That honestly had to be traumatic seeing that play out live on TV. I pray that I never will have to see something similar in person or on live TV.

[@ryansheehan9462]

@@thewheelspinreport my mom said she was exercising while watching the race and was in the middle of a push up when the crash happened and froze in shock mid push up

[@tedblack2163]

Look at Michael Waltrips crash at Bristol. Absolutely incredible that a car was destroyed to that degree, and the driver simply stood up to exit the car.

[@thewheelspinreport]

It is incredible footage. There were so many candidates for the most “horrific” crash.

[@VeliusCoba]

You know what's Ironically horrifying about Mikey's Bristol Crash, The car Is In the National Auto Racing HoF outside Talladega, Ive seen It via my KZbinr's and I was looking at It, The sponsor on the side of the car..........Country Tyme Lemonade, The same sponsor on Neil Bonnet's car that fateful day :/

[@NathanChambers]

I think Michael Waltrips was worse than the Bodine crash too. Bodine was lucky his truck kept moving and not just be stopped by the catch fence. I believe that is something that helped save Bodine's life. Waltrip on the other hand, an almost dead stop, which IMO is even more scary.

[@Eagle_Strike_21]

Mike Harmon's crash at Bristol was just like Waltrip's. Harmon's car was sheared in half.

[@shaynejenkins446]

@@NathanChambers I think Bodine's is probably the most horrific because fans got injured. Some had disfiguring face injuries and broken bones. Way worse injuries than what Bodine suffered.

[@jmed412]

Seeing the image of the exposed role cage looked eerily similar to some of the IndyCar wrecks when the car split, and the driver was exposed in what was left of the cockpit

[@robeddy3722]

And the IndyCar driver also walked away from the crash.

[@SonicBoone56]

It's completely normal and intentionally designed for an IndyCar's monocoque to separate from the rest of the car in a serious wreck. That's NOT supposed to happen on a stock car or indeed most closed cockpit cars.

[@andrewhicks768]

I was in the stands at the 2000 Truck race, got hit by debris, luckily was unhurt. *NOTE: There was MORE seats at Daytona then vs now, they removed the backstretch seats. Also give facts vs drama in your videos. Bodine was moving and it could be seen he was moving when pulled out of the truck.

[@pengiunanimatorguy]

No way

[@rodpitcock6730]

Very well put together. Thank you. That truck race was the first Nascar race I ever watched. I started watching NASCAR to see how it conspired the the NASCAR 2 computer sim, and became a life long fan. I just knew when I watched it happened that I just watched someone die.

[@ATK10155]

I first saw the wreck on Facebook video feed. Absolutely floored. also shocked I had been pronouncing his name wrong for almost 20 years. also shocked he lived.

[@JustinAH]

Tony Roper, Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty all died before Dale Sr. All these men died of Basal Skull Fracture and a full face helmet would have done nothing to save them. This is why the HANS device was developed after Ayrton Senna's death in 1994. A Basal Skull Fracture is where all the arteries are severed in neck after violent deceleration, it's the killer of race car drivers. What Ken Schrader saw on 2/18/2001 would have been awful

[@robertjackson5411]

John Nemecheck was in 1997 at Miami

[@jeremyhutchings9541]

I think this opens up a new conversation about the fact people dying in the wrecks beats any other where they live at least imo.

[@HayTatsuko]

Knew this was going to be about Geoff's awful wreck before I even clicked. Nothing else even remotely compares to the absolute terror and dread I felt upon seeing that incident as it was broadcast live. I admire his spirit for even trying to come back to racing afterwards, and am grateful for the numerous innovations he and his teams brought to NASCAR. Count yourself another sub. Your presentation is so good... that ending was magnificent and now I'm crying a bit again, almost 22 years later -- as I did in the early evening of that fateful day I found out that my favorite race-car driver ever had gone to the great circle track in the sky.

[@Tankman_4]

Holy cow, for a channel with barely 100 subscribers you have some amazing production!

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you so much Matthew! I hope you have a very happy holidays!

[@Tankman_4]

@@thewheelspinreport Merry Christmas Eve to you!

[@creeddaniel8959]

Russell Phillips has to be up there of the most horrific accident.

[@jimmcclure3727]

You could also add Don MacTavish at Daytona 1969 Permatex 300

[@judefernandez9234]

I'd say Russel Phillips is the worst wreck in NASCAR history

[@edwardharris9810]

I've been at racetracks when there's been a huge crash and that silence that comes over the place while people wait to see the driver extracted is so erie. Then if the driver walks away you get a round of applause of relief from the crowd. It's a strange feeling. Good job on the video fella

[@albertambo3510]

Watched this crash at bar after working night shift. This race was held about noon central time. I seen several drivers killed in person my dad was a super modified or sprint car driver in the 60s. I thought there was no way he survived this viscous crash. It was a relief he did and went on to race again.

[@enricoleite9556]

This video is incredibly well made, I really enjoyed it. Let's hope the next gen doesn't have so many safety problems next year, we really don't need to go back to an era where drivers would get injured every other race. Keep up the good work

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Weren't the trucks in 2000 unrestricted? Larry Nuber IIRC said if Allison went into the stands in 87, that would be the end of auto racing in America. It would be Le Mans 1955 just on a more modern scale. You could add Dillon's flip to the list of near misses too though EDIT: THe old Sportsman series arguably had worse wrecks in far less safe cars, one of them literally exploded, and then, Russell Phillipps happene, which is arguably the most gruesome, horrific wreck in any of the NASCAR series at all though

[@thewheelspinreport]

Yes. They were unrestricted and could knock down 8200RPMs in the draft easy. I agree that if Allison, Bodine, Edwards, Dillon, went in the stands, NASCAR would have empty pockets due to reparations!

[@cententcymbalsusa1590]

I was a crew member for my brother for the Sportsman Series. I watched the deaths of both Phillips and Batson. Also saw Tom D'eath, Ed Gartner and Phil Ross nearly die as well. Worst series ever put together :-(

[@johnnymorrow5687]

@@cententcymbalsusa1590 Is that Tom guy's name Death!?

[@lysergicpillamyd483]

@@johnnymorrow5687 yes except it's pronounced Deeth.

[@robertjackson5411]

How about in the mid 60s during a race at Daytona I forgot what series it was but Don Mctavish was killed when the entire front end of the was ripped completely off and another driver literally drove right into the front of the car and the driver didn’t have anything to protect him I remember watching the Winter Olympics and they and the network interrupted just for that and they gave the viewers a chance to watch it or turn it off until they showed the tape I realize that Nascar wasn’t being televised then but they still filmed the races one of the worse wreck to watch

[@oren2000]

probably one of the most underrated nascar youtubers, love the content

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you!!!!

[@bitterxcvii]

Wow the production and narration on this video is top notch. Definitely deserve more subscribers!

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you!

[@maestro4287]

Finally a good new NASCAR channel recommended by the almighty algorithm, not one of the lying ripoffs. I enjoyed your video. Always try to do what you love.

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you for the very kind words! I will certainly keep it up.

[@bighand1530]

I got recommended this channel today. Not disappointed.

[@heatstroke584]

I can remember watching this race live on television thinking he was dead, it was a true miracle that he survived, rock on Bodine

[@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance]

This and Newman's wreck in the 2020 500 are THE worst crashes in NASCAR's Top 3 divisions; including the fatal ones.

[@f1champ551]

It was so bad, I was watching the ESPN scroll for if he really made it alive... All of the memories of Dale Sr's death in 2001 came back... Was reading Twitter too. It was the most horrific accident in a long time for me, I thought Jeff Kronsnoff was the worst I've ever seen and it was the 1st race on TV that I had to watch a driver basically die.

[@f1champ551]

Dale Sr. Was the one that I noticed and knew he was leaving this world.

[@TheDuck632]

I'm back so to start with you are 100% right NASCAR took a hands off approach to safety for FAR TOO LONG. But in the 90's the crews came up with amazing safety features. The Earnhardt bar roof flaps the escape hatch (that one came from Bill Elliott refusing to be cut from his car after he broke his leg). Open face helmets were well on their way out. I know I'm wrong but on 18 February 2001 I can only think of 3 drivers that still used them both Earnhardts and Rubb. You covered the Truck race from 2000 it was an horrible wreck and it was on T.V but don't forget the drivers we lost in 2000. Had NASCAR stepped up then and changed the way they handled things I and so many others wouldn't have lost a hero. But 23 years later I guess it still hurts. I wanted to be a race car driving history teacher I didn't follow my dreams I did what others wanted me to do. But going back to your thoughts and your points you made you are great from a certain point of view but people know about and used far more safety equipment than you lead on. I love NASCAR and I love young fans I want you guys around because you are going to keep the sport going. But I am human and sometimes things hit me the wrong way I take the time to cool off and hear them out most of the time the other person is wrong and needs to shut up lol in this case I was wrong and I'm glad I gave you the chance to hear your thoughts.

[@shanghaigaming4826]

Based old head

[@HirokaAkita]

I think this documentary can be perfectly "The three before february" prologue... (A documentary by Brock Beard)

[@TheDuck632]

@@HirokaAkita I was going to bring that up I typed out something about the video but this being the first video I've watched on this channel I thought it was in bad taste to bring up someone else's video. I had already left a comment when I was still pissed calling out his research so I thought I should maybe not drop the name of a youtuber I like.

[@seannolan9857]

Wasn't Jimmy Spencer still using open face as well?

[@TheDuck632]

@@seannolan9857 he probably was like I said those three were the only ones I could think of at the time

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

Wow, I wonder if those were photos of Bodine hands up in the air or video stills? If photos, I hope that guy or girl got the deserved recognition of a great photo. A closed-face helmet wouldn't have saved Dale Sr. as much as having his belts tight without slack.

[@thewheelspinreport]

I sadly could never find who took those incredible photos. What I can only guess is that it is restored from a video from the angle of the crash from pit road. I did not show that angle as I do not want to play my chances with KZbin’s ToS since it is rather graphic. If you can find who took the photos, please let me know and I will put it in the description. Also, I am aware about the helmet thing with Earnhardt and I appreciate you for bringing it up. Thank you for watching and happy holidays!

[@brentweir4651]

I'm pretty sure they are photos. I can't say 100%, but I think I remember seeing them shortly after that weekend. I was pretty close to Dale's '97 Talledega wreck, and I thought I'd watched my hero die.

[@ivertranes2516]

Those are photographs, not video images. The resolution is too good to be video. Neither a full face helmet nor tighter belts would have saved Big E. He died due to basilar skull fracture, basically his skull disconnecting from his spine. Same as Adam Petty, Neil Bonnet, Kenny Irwin and others. Sadly, Dr. Hubbard and Jim Downing had developed the HANS device as early as 1991, but drivers and sanctioning bodies around the world ignored it until after Daytona 2001.

[@ryanwinkelman1781]

I'm tired of hearing the Earnhardt misinformation about what would have saved his life. Absolutely nothing you said would have mattered. The only thing that would have saved him would have been the HANS because he died from a BASAL SKULL FRACTURE. It's the only thing that will stop your head from flying forward from the rest of your body in a frontal impact and killing you. Some drivers in nascar were already using head and neck restraints at the time of Earnhardt's death but he thought it would act like a noose (don't ask me why). Ernie Irvan is the only driver I know of that suffered a basal skull fracture and actually survived (although just barely and with a little bit of permanent brain damage). If there didn't happen to be a doctor literally like 100 yards from where he hit the wall he never would have made it. The Dr gave him an emergency tracheotomy in the racecar so he could breathe.

[@thedistractedcanadian4355]

The wreck that made me loose my mind was micheal waltrip at Bristol I knew he survived but when I first seen it I had my breath taken away

[@HayTatsuko]

And then it got _repeated_ by Mike Harmon, with the same, somehow benign result. Thank goodness BMS did not allow "third time's the charm" to happen with that damnable gate.

[@AlanWiltsie]

That thumbnail is an amazing work of art

[@Angie-Pants]

Comparing this wreck to the four fatal wrecks that happened in the following 12 months is a horrible lesson in physics.

[@xNobodyOfConsequenceX]

Not to mention Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. or Tony Roper who all passed away in 2000.

[@marthflores3515]

Title shoulda been called. Nascar's Most Horrific Crash that nobody knows about. Anyways great vid loved the editing and voice over

[@AlanWiltsie]

This is a fantastic video btw. You've definitely earned my subscription.

[@linkskywalker5417]

3:02 That's exactly what Homer meant when he said that death made NASCAR racing exciting. It did, as Homer said, but it was also worrying as there was a ticking time bomb where the Daytona 500 (as in, the great race in what was the great scourge of a racetrack) would take a driver's life. Also, it's very important to note that head-on collisions are so dangerous, even a 15 mph difference in speed can be fatal, which is why airbags were invented for street legal cars and are standard at least on the steering wheel and front passenger dashboard.

[@abuzzgrain124]

NASCAR had 3 other warnings before Dale Sr’s passing. Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr, and Tony Roper, who all passed away in 2000

[@noahrrq]

You need way more subs dude. Keep it up.

[@jimrogers8280]

It was a bad wreck and one of the worst but not as bad as Micheal Waltrip and Mike Harmons wrecks at Bristol .

[@JunohNebula]

It always seems like whenever there's a heart stopping scary crash, both in person and over a broadcast, it's always involves the damn catch fence. I'm very thankful for the catch fence for many reasons though it doesn't make watching cars get mangled against it any easier.

[@richardhill2643]

You'd rather get rid of the catch fences and watch spectators getting mangled as well? As well as protecting the spectators, they also help absorb impact, dissipating the energy thus reducing the high-g impacts that are so often fatal. The safer-barriers have done so much, too, in reducing the high-g impacts. Combine that with the HANS device, and Dale Earnhardt would have walked away from his fatal crash.

[@almostfm]

@@richardhill2643 "You'd rather get rid of the catch fences and watch spectators getting mangled as well? " How the _hell_ do you get that from what he said? Catch fences are far from perfect. Read about the Russell Phillips crash to see what a catch fence can do to a car and a driver. They're the best solution we have at the moment, but that doesn't mean they're perfect and can't be improved, and acknowledging that doesn't mean someone thinks they should be done away with.

[@SebastianWoodard]

You are criminally underrated as a channel and deserve so many more subs and views

[@bighand1530]

This has 14,515 views as of now.

[@SebastianWoodard]

@@bighand1530 and he has 340 subs. Production value is on par with Black Flags Matter or SlapShoes or those guys. He deserves the same viewership and subscriber count they get.

[@bighand1530]

@@SebastianWoodard I’ll help out

[@RealKartRacer]

Nice storytelling. One thing I think is a bit misleading though, is the open face helmets while still allowed were not common anymore, I recall earnhardt was one of the only drivers left wearing an open face helmet. In the 2001 daytona 500 I think only 3 or 4 drivers were wearing open face helmets

[@tylertorbett6942]

Very good video very well thought out! Awesome content keep it coming please

[@xanaxkamikaze]

Russell Phillips had the worst *NASCAR* wreck ever. He actually died. But it wasn't in a national series so I guess it doesn't count?

[@SailorMoonRailfan]

I was in tears when I saw this video man. It reminds me how I never get to meet my second grandmother when she passed 14 years before, or I was adopted by my current parents 14 days after 9/11 because, my Birthmother wasn't able to take care of me. 😢😢💗💗💓💓

[@Megacooler96_]

It just sucks that it took Dale Earnhardt's death for everyone to take safety seriously when it could've been prevented alot sooner.

[@Angie-Pants]

It was Blaise Alexander's death that finally got NASCAR to mandate HANS devices.

[@philbuell6657]

Unfortunately wearing of the Hans device was an individual's choice still when Dale died. Sadly he chose not to wear it that day.

[@asiancajun0438]

Beautiful video. Excellent editing. Look forward to your next videos

[@ReaperX7]

I don't know if Darrell Waltrip was being prophetic or random, but him saying what he said about driving through those pearly gates... That's eerie looking back on it.

[@VampireYoshi]

All those rolls and flips were the best thing that could've happened. Even the lightest of race cars are extremely heavy compared to a human body, and the amount of energy and force required to tumble and flip a racing vehicle dozens of times through the air would quite simply kill any driver instantly, if that kinetic force were transfered into them instead. The flying shrapnel, also dissipating energy, is almost as good, save that it has to land somewhere, and if it's anywhere near grandstands, that could be onto, and slashing into, spectators. It's the crashes where the crashing car quickly goes from blazing speed to cold stop that are almost certain fatalities. If one has the stomach for it, the 1982 Indianapolis crash of Gordon Smiley was probably the most illustrative, and horrific, example ever.

[@SonicBoone56]

Modern race cars are so much safer beyond just neck restraints and fuel cells. The very crumple zones themselves are designed to take in a ton of impact and, like road cars, go around the driver, leaving the cockpit itself virtually unscathed at even high speed impacts. They'll never disintegrate like that ever again and if the cockpit did somehow become detached, it'd still be full enclosed by tons of roll cage, the windows, and the engine. Only open wheelers are designed to immediately separate the cockpit as there's very little body to protect the driver. Not to mention spectator safety is also completely different than it was 20 years ago. Even a direct impact to the fence will fail to completely rip through it. At most, some debris may make it through nowadays. Plus modern SAFER barriers pretty much tend to keep cars AWAY from spectators as it absorbs car impacts and pushes cars towards the road.

[@codyfletcher8177]

I was only 4 when Sr passed, when Newman wrecked at Daytona that was feeling I’ll never forget that nascar hadn’t felt since 01

[@dontask8979]

I will never forget that wreck. Everyone thought he was gone. No replays nothing, just shock. I'm not sure anyone knew how bad it was until after to was clear that there were no life threatening injuries. When they started showing replays, the shock turned to disbelief.

[@pinkiepromise666]

I have watched Bodine's accident multiple times over the years, and it doesn't get any less horrifying. Given the lack of safety that existed throughout the sport at the time, he literally should have been dead. If not from the impact from the explosion of the fuel cell, and if not that from the burning fire afterwards. He definitely had angels over him that day. NASCAR should look back on this...and the drivers that weren't as lucky as Bodine in the following years...and not get complacent on safety ever again.

[@TheFelloMello]

My first video that I've seen from you, and the first two clips I see are my favorite driver getting absolutely murdered 😭😭😭

[@HirokaAkita]

We all know where this is heading... and nobody wants to go there, nobody wants to remember that. Yet, we will go there. Also, i think this is the perfect prologue to Brock Beard's "The three before february".

[@robertjackson5411]

I had just got home from work that day and immediately turned on the TV because I was into the sport and I couldn’t wait for the season to start as soon as I sat down to watch the truck race that’s when it happened I wasn’t in my more then 2 minutes and that wreck happened I couldn’t believe how he survived that and the safety measures weren’t up too what they are today I honestly thought he was a goner I also remember Bodine giving the crowd a thumbs up as they loaded him into the ambulance

[@kevinrice7635]

AMAZING 👏 Enjoyed the vid kid . Stay healthy Good Luck 👍

[@user-cq9qf3nl4w]

Wow the quality here is amazing for a new channel. Just subbed!

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you! I’ve been making videos for about a year, but I think my past three are of the quality I strive for. Still learning! Happy Holidays to you!

[@user-cq9qf3nl4w]

@@thewheelspinreport happy holidays to you too

[@lowellwebster4198]

I remember watching this live on tv when it happened. I thought he was for sure dead.

[@medionlvr]

Geoff was a hometown hero at Thompson International speedway in Thompson, Conn. when i was growing up. ive seen him race his modified every weekend for many years. the day of this crash i thought i lost an old friend.

[@Crazysworld91]

Oh man this was so well made and put together. NASCAR did some really dumb things in the 90s and 2000’s that led to a lot of loss of life. Hopefully we never see that era return.

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you so much!

[@kennorcott7074]

I feel that rule enforcing when it comes to regulated Motorsport, especially when it comes to safety, should be extremely harsh. It shouldn’t be your choice whether or not your vehicle is safe for either you or other people around you

[@EFFEZE]

The worst nascar crash imo is Mike waltrips. That car just disintrigated. How he got out was crazy

[@3km143]

I understand this is one of Nascar's worst looking wrecks but if you REALLY wanna talk about the most horrific one, that would we Russell Phillips' death. He got the same as Bodine but he died desemembered. It happened in Charlotte raceway

[@callmeqwerty9094]

My favorite line in NASCAR was when the announcer (dont know his name) said “we got trouble, this is gonna hurt!” Right before the worst crash in NASCAR history took place.

[@Cjohn31]

I remember watching this race with my uncle shorty and my dad,we thought he was dead for sure, my dad used open face helmets racing but I always use a closed face it's just not worth it but I imagine if your used to open face than it would be hard to switch

[@lysergicpillamyd483]

To be fair whether it's a full face or open helmet it won't help against violent whiplash unless you have a HANS device. I as well made the switch from open face to full face helmets and really the only difference I've noticed is that I have to switch visors when it's sunny outside lol. I don't feel any less or more safe in one or the other.

[@twlivinginudonthanithailand]

I was at this race. Scariest wreck I ever saw.

[@Ogrmac]

Technically Bobby, Allison never fliped He just got airborne.

[@CrazyBear65]

Dude, when I was a youngun, like from 16 to 28, we used to race on the back roads, not drift racing like they do nowadays, just a bunch of kids racing whatever they had, for fun and for bragging rights, not even for money. Maybe for a joint, or a six pack, but mostly for the adrenaline rush.

[@DarkwingMcQuack]

When it comes to the most horrific NASCAR crash nothing will ever be as bad as what happened to Russell Phillips.

[@MmmmPiePants]

When Dale passed away only he and Jimmy Spencer were still wearing open face helmets.

[@sonnydog830]

Jr and probably a few others still had an open face helmets as long as they could. In the July Daytona race he wore an open face helmet and Spencer was wearing one until 2005 if pictures are to be believed.

[@mostlymotiongraphics2134]

I remember seeing this when it happened. I was in South Africa but we did get ESPN broadcasts on some of the premium services at the time. I was a bit of a student of racing accidents and found this one fascinating. So much destruction and so little injuries. Amazing

[@KingmanHighborn]

Good video, but one nitpick, is you said the seats were shoddily made. And man, that is so not true. Yeah, they didn't have the Hans device in regular use and other safety gear that was optional at the time, and that gear may have saved Dale Sr.'s life, but those Simpson regulation seats and harnesses are top notch quality.

[@pengiunanimatorguy]

When you were describing the wreck it sounded like you were tearing up

[@Magic6GMC]

I saw the Russell Phillips wreck at Charlotte in 1995…no disrespect, but that’s the most horrible thing that’s ever happened on a NASCAR race track. RIP Russell

[@thewheelspinreport]

I agree with that, but because it was fatal in such a grotesque way, I felt it was not appropriate to make it the subject of the video. Also, other content creators made excellent videos about it; I would have just been repeating what they said. Were you there in person in 1995 for that wreck? If so, that is horrific, and I am sorry you had to see that.

[@menwithven8114]

He said he woke up with his upper body on the pavement. Absolutely insane

[@NathanChambers]

I sort of disagree with this being the "most horrific" because what bodine had on his side was the truck kept moving, keeping a lot of force off him. Which is prob what saved his life. A more horrific crash IMO is micheal waltrip's wreck because he stopped in the blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong, this Bodine crash was still scary as fuck to see.

[@HayTatsuko]

Both Waltrip and Mike Harmon had RNGesus on their side in those Bristol gate wrecks. I have never seen race cars get so thoroughly deconstructed in such a short time as in those two incidents.

[@stevegabbert9626]

The most horrific crash I've seen on TV is Don MacTavish fatal crash during the 69' Permatex 300 race. I believe the interrupted Wild World of Sports to show a replay with a warning, standards were different back then.

[@Splitsplatofficial]

Came here from Blackflagsmatter’s post. Just subbed!

[@thewheelspinreport]

Every single one matters and I really appreciate it. Happy Holidays to you!

[@zacharymesimer9441]

Granted. The bodine crash was pretty bad, but I honestly feel that Don Mcgavish's crash in the 70s was worse. Car split in half and drivers half gets hit head on at about 170-180. And that was before a roll cage and most modern safety equipment

[@1888Wyatt]

that AI thumbnail is creepy dude

[@mrcelsius2928]

Chin strap, is the best invention to come to racing

[@tonymeyaylol]

Try Carlos Pardo's Nascar Mexico Series Crash. This is horrific.

[@MmmmPiePants]

Dale also called the HANS device "that damn noose".

[@RhodokTribesman]

Funny enough, it specifically prevents noose-like injuries to the spine, keeping you alive

[@Graderman3587]

Dale Sr had a extremely bad left shoulder and would sometimes remove the left shoulder belt to ease up the pain,Add in no Hahn's device and you get a fatality

[@BlackFlagsMatter]

You deserve more subs!

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you!!!

[@dathorndike4908]

I still to this day can see no logical way he survived that wreck. As close to a miracle as you will ever see

[@taylorc.4508]

You know with all that it's amazing he was able to get out of that alive that's really crazy

[@johnoxenreider9094]

Hate restrictor plates

[@JUSTRACINGYT]

Fantastic video!

[@NGKGMR]

6:19 Forgot to say that i put the time mark for those that care for the crash and aftermath only

[@dutchboygaming975]

Amazing video

[@nathanwahl9224]

Hindsight is always 20/20, unfortunately.

[@JamesJohnson-dc1kd]

great job def subscribed

[@thewheelspinreport]

Thank you James!

[@chipwhitley385]

Anyone know what happened to the security guard that was standing there when the fireball went into the crowd?

[@richardhill2643]

Euuchs! Get rid of the "heavenly choirs" at the end!

[@oldhick9047]

If safety were really number one with nascar they would have done far more research on this piece of crap before making the teams use them.

[@iPhone3GS_68]

In my opinion Russell Philips crash was horrifying

[@gregorygolden1296]

The absolute worst crash in NASCAR'S history has to be Don MacTavish in '69. Losing Dale was bad. Don's was beyond horrible. GOD BLESS all the drivers lost in racing in all forms.

[@thewheelspinreport]

I 110% agree, Gregory. As much as I wanted to do a video about McTavish, I felt I was bound to get sniped by the KZbin ToS patrol. It is pretty graphic footage and gut-wrenching to watch. Additionally, racing was not covered in 1969 like in 2000 and was far less mainstream, so it wasn't easy to find reliable historical sources. I felt better off doing it about Bodine's crash than McTavish's since it was not fatal, and its historical consequences were immense. Nonetheless, I really appreciate your comment and bringing it up! Merry Christmas.

[@gregorygolden1296]

@@thewheelspinreportMerry Christmas Brother. Yes it would be best not to show that terrible crash. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a picture of Don in his car afterwards. A big front page picture.( I'm from Florida) in the newspaper. It bothered me for years. Then I saw the newsreel of it. I am glad you didn't show it. GOD BLESS and have a Great Christmas.

[@Arthurmorganfan3]

RIP Dale

[@tylerdurden4006]

That guy is usually really loud and talks lots but this was the only time I heard him completely quiet and all he could say was a soft "yup"

[@damianlindsey6177]

Its racing. You can only be so safe. You cannot make everything into a pillow. The danger is half the excitement. Im not saying go in without any safety but there is a limit and most of the drivers know and understand that

[@davidrice3337]

a couple things- Daytona has taken seats out - not added them - I'm as critical as anyone of nascar but in this case I disagree - considering the amount of accidents / deaths ratio , nascar has done a good job with safety - Earnhardt was killed because of the way he sat in the car - nobody talks about it but I know how low he would modify the floorboard with a sledge - just sayin

[@solidsnake7167]

You know who else wore a close faced helmet. Ayrton Senna. NASCAR, was years quicker than even f1 to mandate certain safety measures such as a Hans. Earnhardt raced for 20 god dam years without one. He, along with everyone else, accepted the risks. It’s like arm chair quarterbacking an opinion about pit road speed limits. Very easy for someone to espouse their “after the fact” virtues who wasn’t even alive back then. It’s intellectually dishonest