Come At Your Own Risk: Tragedy in the Grandstands

[@austinreed5805]

The worst grandstand accident was the 1955 Le Mans Disaster in which one of the cars ramped off of a slower car and hit a sand bank near the front stretch grandstands. The car then summersaulted and broke into pieces. Parts ejected into the grandstands then acted as guillotines and killed many people. Then the magnesium in the car caught alight and killed more people. In total 84 spectators, and the driver, were killed with another 150 spectators injured. The disaster nearly ended motorsports altogether, but safety standards were enacted the following year and motorsports were able to continue.

[@Basetornado]

Motor racing is still banned in Switzerland due to this accident. Only Electric racing is now allowed and even that is a very recent development.

[@NickSamon]

I think some of the spectators got decapitated in that crash too.

[@categoriaxbox2396]

@@NickSamon yep

[@ironpanther2420]

Despite all that, the race was continued to it's completion. Bodies were literally carted off while the race was finished.

[@Basetornado]

@@ironpanther2420 Because it was better to keep the surrounding roads clear of traffic for emergency services etc.

[@S1apShoes]

Everybody gansta until Pumped Up Kicks starts playing over the loudspeaker in the grandstands.

[@blackxd1]

or the man behind the slaughter starts playing on grandstand

[@abuzzgrain124]

Jesus Slap😂😂

[@andrewhagans9603]

Yeah... couldn't continue the video, a little disrespectful if I'm being honest. I'm sure it was a great video onwards but it just didn't feel right.

[@lukelyall5879]

Or day of chaos by Kevin Macleod or dead bodies everywhere

[@RazorSharp75426]

Everyone is a gangster till Pumped Up Kicks plays in the team radio while racing

[@jimbodaboi]

Things i learned in this video: Spectating is unsafe his birthday is july 26th

[@Loaf_ve]

@@benc.3128 BETTER RUN FASTER THEN MY CARRRRR

[@I.LOVECRYSTALCASTLES]

My birthday is on the 28th

[@fredphilips5320]

1988.

[@alexbourgeois7863]

So is mine! Same year to

[@jimbodaboi]

@@alexbourgeois7863 thats sick

[@nascarstopmotionandmore4266]

Conclusion: don’t go to a race on BFM’s birthday.

[@JJB0310]

My thoughts exactly lol

[@SportsDudeBS_]

100th like

[@hunterfinemore2136]

It’s my father’s birthday as well

[@mattcampbell912]

@@hunterfinemore2136 same

[@engineerguy8799]

500th like

[@davidtorrey5512]

You DID NOT use pumped up kicks in the background LMAOOOO

[@jackdallo9464]

Strangely, this video was posted on the anniversary of Sandy Hook....

[@xNobodyOfConsequenceX]

Fucking yikes.

[@MiroPVP]

Robert's got a quick hand

[@xymz1470]

@@MiroPVP He'll look around the room he won't tell you his plan

[@TheMonolake]

What ?

[@BigEOT3]

Thankfully we avoided this type of situation today after a freak wheel left the track during the 2023 Indy 500

[@Saltfly]

That was crazy. All the spectators were ducking when that thing went over their heads. And that wheel was gettin it.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

The wheel was Super-freaky!@@Saltfly

[@coolguy13333]

They need teathers like f1

[@paein9642]

@@coolguy13333 They did have tethers, the tether broke, I think it broke cleanly, which is oddly lucky because if it didn't break cleanly it could've changed how the wheel flew.

[@JettMDK]

Am I hearing Pumped Up Kicks in the background? oh my god

[@talhadevyt]

i mean, lyrics and meaning aside, its pretty catchy

[@Waddle_Dee_With_Internet]

All the other kids with pumped up kicks you better run better run faster than my bullet

[@bringthesonicsback2933]

On the anniversary of sandy hook😳

[@talhadevyt]

@@bringthesonicsback2933 oh my god i never thought of that

[@darknessesdarknesses2492]

🤣

[@johnnyroberts3761]

When I saw the title of this video, I immediately thought of the 1955 Le Mans disaster.

[@lenanaH]

Such a horrific accident

[@citicat2]

Also Wolfgang Von Trips. And Wilbur Brink, who was actually killed by a tire that left the speedway and hit him in his own yard.

[@rhysfielding8171]

Same.

[@voutsider190]

Me too

[@novaalkronthe1st910]

What about the 60s Indy 500?

[@DepravedCoTApologist]

The late 90's-early 2000's had a disturbingly large amount of safety issues in motorsports

[@MurphysLawNZ]

Dont look in to racing from the 60s then. In f1 it was said 1 in 7 drivers would be killed every season

[@TherealLorinser]

@@MurphysLawNZ 70's F1 season is more way dangerous specially, Jochen Rindt in Monza 1970, piers Courage Zanvoort 1970 and so on, but they said the most awful is Francóis Cevert at the 1973 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen his body was cut in half inflicted by the barriers. Also Helmut koinigg on the following year his head was decapitated.

[@t_miner3210]

@@TherealLorinser decapitated?

[@goldosprey]

@@t_miner3210 if the wiki page is right the armco barrier wasn't installed right. When the car hit, it buckled and his head met the barrier at over 170 MPH. not unlike the F1 crash recently

[@t_miner3210]

@@goldosprey I’m boutta be sick

[@TalladegaTom]

I have a few things to add to the US 500 story. Yeah, I was sitting less than 20 rows directly behind that carnage. Saw the blood and the worst of it. It happened SO quick and right in front of me. No one in the way of that tire assembly had any chance. And yeah, it wasn't just the tire. It was the hub assembly which still had suspension bits attached so you can imagine those things flying around. The track had us evacuate that one section of grandstand just as that photo shows. We walked by stunned while not really knowing how many had been killed or injured. They opened up one of the closed grandstands nearby and that's where I sat for the rest of the race. My brother and his young boy (his first race ... argh) and many of the people in our grandstand just left the race right then. Can't really blame them. The enjoyment was over. The officials simply covered the remains with a white cloth where they lay and then as if nothing happened, restarted the race. I later heard that this was done so that investigators could do their thing as would occur for any death(s). I don't really know on that bit yet in hindsight they definitely should have called the race right then and there. The crap they got because they didn't was well deserved. You know how you are when trackside, always looking around the track for the action. It was truly eerie and a bit surreal looking over that part of the grandstand knowing that there were dead people still laying right there. I heard that awful sound and saw the blood on the medical crew. One nurse in particular....a damn unforgettable sight. Surely that young heroic woman had bad images burned into her memory. It was a very bad day. The racing though. That was, up to that point, THE best racing I had ever witnessed. The passing was incredible and had this incident not occurred, it would have gone down in history as the best race, open wheel or otherwise, to ever run. Death got in the way of winning that award. The Speedway erected a memorial to the three fans that were killed. On a side note, I was also at Talladega '87 when Bobby Allison crashed on that day too. I was pretty far away but close enough to walk over and note the size of the fence cables that were snapped like twigs. They were huge! That one really could have been devastating had the fencing been any weaker. And yeah, that was one hell of a race too. Racing is like that when at the edge. Things can go either way quickly and in unexpected ways. Great take on this incident. We should never forget stuff like this. Thank you.

[@joelbrooks3198]

The race in California that Greg Moore was killed in was also a great race.

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

I think the officials at the US 500 did the right thing. Out of respect for the fans they continued the race those fans came to support and watch. They should have known that racing is dangerous for everyone and while things can be done to mitigate incidents like that, it is never without risk. Only a moron would blame them for continuing the race after that.

[@TalladegaTom]

@@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks That's a lot of disrespect for the fans who were bleeding out. :(

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

@@TalladegaTom No. Quite the opposite. Imagine going to a race, only to have it stopped because you got hurt. As a fan, I would be pissed, and embarrassed. I rather them continue the race in respect to my intentions to go into a situation I knew could get me hurt and continue the race. My harm is no reason to stop the race. I went to the race to see the race complete, I would want that race completed.

[@TalladegaTom]

@@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks Just mop up the blood and kick the dead off to the side then eh? Your pitiful disrespect for race fans that paid the ultimate price and for life in general has been duly noted.

[@DennyDeliversYT]

When people talk about *Motorsports are dangerous,* this is not the thing that they mean and ever wish to happen... Thank god for today’s Catchfences and safety innovations 🙏

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

Motor sports are dangerous implies that the fans are in danger too. It is the thing they mean and it's something they don't want to happen. But only the stupid would think that rocketing a 1000 pound motor with suspension tied to it and spectators watching is safe for anyone involved. Motor sports are not safe by design, the ragged edge of performance and innovation is never safe. In some respects fans should sign a waver declaring that the neither speedway nor the racing teams can be sued in the event of their injury. oh wait, that's usually on the ticket. Also the race must go on, regardless of the events that transpire, as long as it's physically possible to continue the race the races must go on. IT's only the most respectful thing you can do for those that risked their lives to watch or race.

[@ronaldshank7589]

I sometimes wonder if today's Catchfences are enough protection? I sure hope so!

[@West_Coast_Mainline]

Denny won the latest race, just so you know

[@unvrknow22]

I was 16 years old at that Michigan race in 1998 with my dad. Sat right by the start/finish line about 25 rows up, under the shade of the press box. Had no idea a tire went into the stands and that a tragedy had taken place until I got home and saw the news. We eventually noticed while the race was under green later on that they emptied that section of grandstands but we didn't know why. Neither of us saw the tire go up in the stands and nobody around us seemed to be talking about it either when everyone could actually hear each other during yellow flags. No public address announcement or anything at any point. Just so hard to imagine enjoying a warm summer Sunday at the track and then suddenly having a tire come flying over the fence at you at 200 miles an hour. I feel so sorry for not only the victims, but everyone who had to witness such a gruesome and horrific scene in that section that day.

[@jonripley5348]

I was sitting within 12-15 feet of the 3 fatalities at the U.S.500, still the worst thing I have witnessed.

[@Konformation07]

All I want to ask is was it as grisly as I can imagine it because this video makes me think of that old Final Destination movie. I hope you are mentally ok witnessing that.

[@jonripley5348]

Mentally yes, I'm good. Just a moment that will never be forgotten. Totally a Final Destination moment for sure.

[@davidtx8777]

No u weren't.

[@JK-g62]

Yikes!

[@Chatta-Ortega]

I was at the Michigan race and when I saw the tire clear the fence, I told the person I was sitting with that someone was just killed in the stands. It wasn't until I got back to my hotel that I learned the scope of the tragedy. Sorry you had to witness that.

[@PyroBun_2844]

Also, i have never heard of the Charlotte scenario until now, that was just sad.

[@AEMoreira81]

That's the reason for tethers on cars now.

[@FT-64]

My parents were at that race. Several months later I drove my first race at the Charlotte track....they weren't thrilled.

[@RyGuy42089]

I was at Charlotte when that tragedy happened! My dad and me had our tickets for turn 4 terrace, but the crowd wasn't to big so we decided to go sit on the front stretch. We both seen the wreck and seen the tires and parts go into the stands, track workers rushed to get everyone out of that section and they immediately put sheets up around the area where the spectators died. One person was decapitated by a flying wheel .

[@matthewgraham51]

@@RyGuy42089 i was in turn 1 that night. knew it was bad when i saw the sheets come out.

[@thestig1611]

6:19 Greg Moore would end up passing away in a crash on October 31st 1999.He was only 24. He was from my hometown. His parents still live in the community. He was so unbelievably talented behind the wheel. It seemed like it was just a matter of time before he'd make the jump to Formula 1.

[@mikecook1427]

All tracks need to remove grass around the racing surface. Greg Moore died because of the grass And service road. After that California Speedway removed all grass along the backstretch

[@picklep9812]

I’m born and raised in the lower mainland

[@Cagsv2poweredcarbattery]

I think Tagliani said he was gonna move to penske, stay a few more years in cart, and make his move to nascar

[@thefossillcave]

The closet thing to a scary crash I saw in attendance was the end of the 2015 MAVTV 500, one car flipped hard into the grass. I'm glad he was okay.

[@firelynx1108]

was that the Auto Club race in Indy?

[@thefossillcave]

@@firelynx1108 Yes. It was Indycar.

[@samuelsunnyd7187]

Dude, I was there too! Absolute heroics from Briscoe there.

[@Stormynormy42]

I was there when Keselowski flipped at Atlanta. From my vantage point, looked like he was going into the top of the catch fence with part of the car over it, then it just laid down into the corner of the wall and track. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen, we were so close to catastrophe that day.

[@Spyke-lz2hl]

@@samuelsunnyd7187 You were one of about 17 people who got to see that incredible race in person? Amazing! You had to deal with heat and all, but I bet it was worth it!

[@DennyDeliversYT]

The split into Cart and USAC was definitely a dark time in Motorsports... *This just further exceed the darkness with these incidents...*

[@DucatiPaso750]

I remember USAC, CART and IRL. CART was the best of those series. It was even more exciting than Formula One.

[@JK-g62]

@TNS1089 its not opinion...at the time CART and the IRL were dividing the open wheel fans. It nearly killed both series. I was a CART fan...they had the best drivers...and best tracks...with the exception of Indy

[@marisgertans2438]

@@JK-g62 And cars were also better, I still do not see how current series are listing champions of 1996 Calkins\Sharp not Vasser! CART-CCWS were definitely superior until 2001, and 1996 championship was a joke. Since 1998 yes something was more serious, but 1996? And current series since merger must include CART records.

[@evanj2400]

BFM making a video is like a birthday

[@ethansprague2005]

But better

[@MikeMcD-sm2ds]

Should have been an abortion

[@Chiracingfan]

@@MikeMcD-sm2ds Calm down dude. What did Darian ever do to you

[@kekke2000]

Like a birthday? Happens once a year and is more and more depressing each time. That's rude!

[@ChrisBl33p]

@@MikeMcD-sm2ds damn you.

[@isaacmckissick1068]

How ironic that Greg Moore won that Michigan race.....

[@MurphysLawNZ]

That's what I was thinking :(

[@Mvortec48]

and Adrian Fernandez won the race in which Greg Moore died.

[@JK-g62]

R.I.P. Greg Moore....he was an incredible talent!

[@XxdubsxX]

@@Mvortec48 he also won the race where Jeff krosnoff died in. Dark celebrations for Adrien

[@bclautz]

@@Mvortec48 Adrain also won the race that Jeff Krosnoff and a corner worker were killed

[@Cynon]

There was another incident in the 1987 Indy 500, yes, 1987, where a tire went into the stands and killed a spectator as well. USAC kept the race going. Yeah, this was something that literally happened *eleven whole years* beforehand, on a *MUCH* bigger stage, and wheel tethers still weren't a thing yet! Spectator injuries thankfully are a lot more rare than they used to be. For a really detailed example of what has happened, I highly recommend the 1955 Le Mans episode of the Well There's Your Problem podcast.

[@KellieLeigh48]

@Cynon you're right... That was Lyle Kuertenbach who was killed

[@michaelhazen3153]

They didn't even say anything on T.V. It's like nobody in the racing industry cared. It was no big deal at Michigan. They just made an announcement on T.V. and kept going. A driver is killed and 100,000 people go to their funeral. Spectators only loved ones show up. They should have a moment of silence before every race at every track for the fans killed. There are just as many as them killed as there are drivers and they're the ones that make track owners rich as shite. Take a small percentage of the gate and spend it on fan safety but they don't much. They just are worried about the pavement and driver safety because that's what keeps the series coming back each year.

[@PyroBun_2844]

As a person that has been to 4 races, I’m thankful I sat higher in the grandstands.

[@codyproffitt8546]

Even though it doesn't have as high a chance in NASCAR for a tire to come flying over the fence, you never know if the car itself will come flying towards you at 200 mph.

[@RedSliceGaming34]

@@codyproffitt8546 Chances of a nascar making it to the top of the grandstands is slim.

[@gwcrispi]

Won't help you. 1987 a man was sitting in the TOP row of the stands in the North chute at Indy. A loose tire off of Tony Bettenhausen's car was rolling on the track when Roberto Guerrero's car hit it and knocked it into the stands. Killed 42yo Lyle Kurtenbach. BTW, although not out of the race, this incident ended up costing Roberto the win. The clutch reservoir was located in the nose of the car and was busted. Roberto stalled twice on his last pit stop even though he pitted with a full lap lead, he lost the race to Al Unser Sr.

[@RedSliceGaming34]

@@gwcrispi Still very slim chance.

[@adammatthewssr.77]

The deal at Michigan was pretty high up.

[@BlueJimmie48Fan]

Me: grieving from all the spectators who lost their lives from these incidents..... Also me: *ALL THE OTHER KIDS WITH THE PUMPED UP KICKS* In all seriousness tho, open wheel racing in my humble opinion had its darkest period ever in the late 90s. Prayers to all the families of those innocent spectators.

[@definitelyjustcj4148]

I think open wheel racing had its darkest period in the 60s and 70s I mean the drivers had a 2 out of 3 chance of dying every time they got in that car. Those cars were literal bombs on wheels

[@jryan0]

Different eras, different risks, different speeds. We can all just be thankful that racing is safer than ever at least.

[@d.perezduarte]

@@jryan0 tell that to grosjean

[@callummclachlan4771]

I think the 90s in general were among the darkest for open wheelers. Deaths were kind of the norm and accepted in the 60s and 70s. Not so much in the 90s. (Let's not forget that fateful weekend in 1994). I'm just thankful I didn't have to deal with those dark times in motorsport. Because in general, this decade has been fairly good in regards to motorsport. Obviously still have the dreadful deaths of say Simonsen, Bianchi, Hubert (and more that I can't remember off the top of my head).

[@noobednatherium4082]

@@callummclachlan4771 let's not forget the 3 deaths in 1982, Gilles Villeneuve, Gordon Smiley, and Ricardo Palleti

[@SiVlog1989]

Long time F1 commentator, and former F1 driver, Martin Brundle has a saying that sums up the dangers of Motorsport. "If one car can have an incident, another one can." He experienced this first hand, at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 1994, his McLaren spun off the track in torrential rain at a point where another car had crashed already. That aforementioned crashed car was halfway through being recovered when Brundle went off. He somehow narrowly missed hitting the JCB recovery truck, but he did hit one of the marshalls, badly injuring the marshall on the spot (the impact between Brundle's car and the marshall's leg caused a compound fracture to the lower right leg of the marshall). Scarily, it was almost identical to another crash, this time fatal, that occurred 20 years later in similar conditions at the same track and the same corner. In the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix on lap 43, Jules Bianchi aquaplaned off at the same spot as another driver had the previous lap. Unlike Brundle however, Bianchi was not so lucky, his Marussia telescoping under the recovery vehicle and Bianchi was hit on the head with a deceleration from 126 KPH (78 MPH) to zero in just over a second. Bianchi suffered blunt force trauma from the impact with the recovery vehicle, giving him head injuries and leaving him in a coma that he would never recover from, succumbing to his injuries 9 months after the accident and 4 days short of his 26th birthday. He became the first F1 driver to die as a result of an accident in a race since Ayrton Senna in 1994. It was a terrible shock to the F1 and Motorsport community

[@richardmourdock2719]

I remember back in the 1980's (?) when a tire came off a car, was hit by Roberto Guerro who effectively punted it up and over the fourth turn fence and it struck a fellow from Wisconsin (That' I'm sure of though don't know why I remember it) in the highest row, the last row of the grandstand. Statistically what should have been one of the safest seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

[@user-dh7rl9sc2r]

It's a shame IndyCar has had so many tragedies over the years. The racing is usually really good, but too often it seems to be overshadowed by unfortunate events like this.

[@goldosprey]

Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson

[@generalyellor8188]

1973 Indy 500.

[@TornadoHound]

Gordon Smiley

[@Xitenarian]

not an indycar one but Dale Earnhardt

[@Tixio_T]

Greg Moore, Jeff Krosnoff, Dan Wheldon, all the most freak accidents imaginable

[@backporchdriver3763]

I've just now watched this video. I have seen another video about these tragic events, but your video is better because you did the proper research, and even mentioned the names of those who unfortunately passed away from them. It also showed the lack of safety concern by CART, for continuing the Michigan race. Those rescue workers were at serious risk themselves, because they didn't stop the race.

[@Tyspeed0528]

7:12 my dad was there. He was a State Trooper at the time. And he told me that it was a nasty sight seeing their heads smashed in. But RIP to all those who were mention in this video.

[@patrickkennedy2533]

Much Respect To H.A . for stopping that race . Tooooo many in the past are guilty for not doing such .

[@Railenisaplanenerd]

I figured this would appear, I just want to say if any family member is reading this to a another who died from a car crash, I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope that you'll try to be better, so if you're sad, just do what ever you do. Again, This is for people who losed one in a car crash.

[@PlebeBVR]

I remember watching the Wattles-John Paul, Jr crash on TV when I was a kid: my dad and I made a donation to one of the child fans that got injured, thankfully she was one of the lucky ones

[@mdrlhighlights7076]

I love that abc sports Indycar theme from back then

[@marklogsdon4735]

1983- 1985 , my brother in law and I went to both races at Daytona each year. We used to stand right at the fence about 50 yards after the start /finish line. There were holes in the fence, big enough to stick your head through. We would hold our camera thru the hole with our whole arm out to get good pictures. Every once in a while, somebody would come by and tell us to keep walking, but they would move on and we would go right back. Got some great pictures, we would have to turn and duck when the pack would get to our spot or else get sand blasted at 200 mph. Hadn't thought about that in years. Young and dumb. And lucky. Thanks for the video. And the memories.

[@rihitsaundankar3172]

Lol someone took a trip to the gualag for Blackflagsmatters to be birthed

[@JayBeingNatural]

It's eerie hearing about the incident with Adrian Hernandez, when you also consider that two of his CART/Indycar wins came after the deaths of Jeff Krosnoff and Greg Moore

[@JHockeyFan]

And he was this close to death at Surfers Paradise in 2002 when Tora Takagi landed on his head. Watch the replays, Fernandez is insanely lucky.

[@rns.motorsports]

One thing that strikes mean is just how many times replays are shown before we know if anyone died as compared to Hubert’s accident at spa in 2019 where ZERO replays hell even Grosjean’s f1 accident recent accident they had no replays shown until we know Grosjean was okay RIP Everyone who sadly lost their lives

[@KermitTheGamer21]

I have to wonder if some of that is due to crashes like Dan Wheldon where they showed a replay from his POV, literally showing his death.

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

I was at the U.S. 500 that day. I was working for one of the CART teams as a pit signboard man and saw the accident as Adrian was coming down the straight, but not the tire flying. I knew something was wrong though when I saw a huge tarp being put on the stands.

[@CaptainTylor19]

There was another similar Incident in the 1987 Indy 500. On lap 130 a wheel came off of Tony Bettenhausen's car and was stuck by Roberto Guerrero. It went into the stands and stuck Lyle Kurtenbach in the head, killing him. The tv broadcast did not talk about it but radio did. The impact is what lead to issues that cost Roberto so much time on his last pitt stop.

[@georgemallory797]

I was there. I was down in turn 1 and saw Guerrero hit that tire way down in turn 4. I knew something bad had happened. Got word when we were filing out of the stands after the ceremony for Al Unser's 4th win was over.

[@groomlake51]

It’s cool to see the younger generation interested in racing history 🙏🏻

[@denniswilson9317]

One of the men killed at Charlotte was named Randy Pyatte (the commentator mispronounced his name). He was just 21 and the nephew of a friend of mine. My friend later told me that Humpy Wheeler came to the funeral and also paid for it. I felt it was the very least he could do.

[@MotorsportsFan17]

Just looking at that Footage is very Jarring to see but it's a Chilling Reminder of the Dangers in these Events

[@kermanite]

Oh hi MSF17

[@LabRat8899]

I vividly remember being at the 2014 Busch race at Daytona when Kyle Larson crashed into the grandstand. Me and my parents were sitting right where Larson’s car came to a rest. Easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life. My dad swore to never go to a restrictor plate race again.

[@evanwallace4510]

I was born and raised and still live 20 mins west of Daytona International Speedway and I was at the first truck series race at Daytona in 2000 when Bodine hit the fence I was one section over and in the middle of the grandstands from where he hit the fence and debris flew all the way up towards us it was by far the scariest thing I have seen at Daytona. I was 11 at the time. I dont remember if anyone was seriously hurt where we were sitting. The back of every ticket for Daytona says the track/nascar isn't responsible for injury or death to any spectator

[@nascarnational]

I can't help but wonder what it was like being an American open-wheel racing fan in the 90s. That era was by far the worst for the sport and it's only recently that we've seen IndyCar finally get themselves out of the hole they dug over 20 years ago. If anything, that was far worse than the downfall NASCAR has experienced the last 15 or so years. I'm glad the sport isn't in a dark age anymore, and I hope that we don't ever see anything like what took place in the 90s, happening again.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Don't worry, incompetence from the split era and post-reunification, coupled with NASCAR'S monopoly already make the late 1990's and early 2000's more favorable then today's AOWR in all but star power, where the two eras are generally equal.

[@brandylatowski]

Who’s here after the Kirkwood wreck

[@PhotosOfBuildings]

Technically everybody

[@davidpeters2625]

Lesson Learned: On certain Tracks like Daytona, Talladega, even tracks like Michigan or Pocono, DO NOT get seats super close to the catch fence (yes, I do know that a wreck can go anywhere in the stands, but the RISK for getting killed, 9 times out of 10, is usually the closest to the catchfence, grandstand

[@MrRichardH1]

Another weird coincidence: none of these incidents happened on my birthday!!

[@geek49203]

Which is one of the reasons you'll never hear "Its a new track record" ever again at IMS. Or most places for that matter.

[@TheCoolParnell]

It’s a minor miracle that they didn’t add a chicane to every oval track.

[@fishproductions22]

9:46 matt kenseth won an xfinity race that day

[@chancegheno8096]

Hey Darian. Good Idea Putting Pumped Up Kicks As The Background Music! 👍

[@joycehall2580]

Run better run, out run the wheel

[@idontknowwhattochangemynam8644]

Joyce Hall Lmao yes

[@jamesbraun9842]

@@joycehall2580 All the other kids with the pumped up cars, better run better run out run my tire

[@Gage_Brumley]

Not

[@bloodykills7509]

Nearly happened again, damn😮

[@skicarNR]

Do I hear pumped up kicks in the background?

[@rns.motorsports]

Yes

[@cjearnest203]

*throws my arms up* YES

[@DanielNuteson]

This is why If I go to the Daytona 500, I will be in the higher grandstands and not the lower. Edit: This video makes me just want to watch more on TV

[@illinoisdiecast7145]

agreed

[@codymoe4986]

...and the Lord said, "Ye have sinned against me and I shalt strike thou down with a front wheel assembly to thine face"... You are most certainly in control of when and how you die, it is your choice to mitigate the risk....

[@andylucas8262]

@TNS1089 " get busy living, or get busy dying ". If you know what movie that is from you get bonus points.

[@thevainpossum961]

motorsports are muc safer today. these are from the 90's. i too go to the 500 every year, even when newman went flying through the air i never felt unsafe. the catch fences and tethers are much impoved.

[@percyfaith11]

@Woobiecrew But, it's not out of your control is it?

[@tokeypokey]

I think back to last season when a track volunteer at Williams Grove was struck by a rolling sprint car. I Was Standing on a Hauler about 100 feet away. It really fucked my thought process for a few nights but seeing how everyone in that small community rallied around him and other drivers who've passed really makes me feel a little better since they aren't forgotten the same way alot of others who pass are

[@BLyonsDesign]

Somehow after both of these wrecks, the movie Driven STILL thought it was a good idea to have a tire fly into the grandstands and come close to crushing some spectators as part the movie.

[@joelbrooks3198]

Greg Moore was one the greatest drivers that I ever saw.

[@Steez51]

And October 31 1999 was one of my saddest days. I was a huge CART fan then but it took the wind out of my sails after that.

[@erikcorr3261]

Well this video appears to be aging quite well. Thankfully rare, but it unfortunate almost happened again.

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

about the same time it happened similar incidents in Formula One, and took track marshalls lives. The first one was 2000 Italian GP start, when a tire struck Paolo Gislimberti and the second one at 2001 Australian GP when again another tire struck and killed track marshall Graham Beveridge. This prompted to F1 cars to have wheel tethers but it didn't prevented other incidents involving car parts strucking bystanders

[@DjFIL007]

Thank goodness for the wheel tethers and many other safety advances since. Risk vs thrill factor will always be there, that is racing. I'm sad that IndyCar in 2021 will only go to 3 ovals (with double header in Texas) as I think the oval+road+street course mix of IndyCar is what makes it great. Hopefully it won't be the end of open wheel oval racing.

[@BadErnest]

It’s worth noting that during the 2001 IRL Atlanta pileup a wheel and tire landed high in the turn 4 seats, which were unoccupied. A wheel and tire also landed in the empty backstretch seats at Texas Motor Speedway during an IRL crash one year.

[@Posirep]

This doesn't even touch upon the most secretive and covered up accident in IndyCar history.... Tony Renna's Indianapolis testing crash in 2003. He reportedly went through the catch fence and the car and Renna were essentially dissentegrated... People have said if that had happened during a race weekend that would have been the end of the 500. There was reportedly pieces of the car and Renna even behind the grandstands There is no seats in the spot Renna crashed in anymore.

[@alanpashley582]

I was at the race in Michigan that day, sitting in the section immediate before the one the wheel flew into. I was amazed that the race continued. Everyone was evacuated from the affected section, they covered the bodies with tarps, and the race carried on!

[@goldcowl52]

Great video once again BFM. Hope to see more Indy and possibly F1 content on the channel!

[@PaBa1984]

I was in Raleigh watching this. I’d wanted to go to this race but, well, I was 15 and no one would take me. I remember watching on TV and it was surreal. The bomb threat angle is something I’ve never even heard of (Raleigh is 2.5 hours from Charlotte). Great video.

[@KenSerpico5450]

Actually, Paul Tracy cut Adrian off, causing Adrian to lose down force, resulting Adrian to collide with the wall.

[@jamessimms415]

I had the opportunity to attend the Talladega race shown in the Intro where Bobby Allison blew a tire, backing into the fence. I was @ Ordnance Advanced Course @ Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. We had an exam the next day, so I thought IDE better study for the exam. Turns out the seats were close to where the fence was hit.

[@johnvandeventer8668]

when I was at Daytona, I was a lil worried that a car would crash into the fence Edit: rest in peace to those who lost their lives in those incidents

[@benr.4238]

I never worried. I figured if it happens it's gonna happen so fast you won't feel a thing anyway.

[@thicccheese4007]

3:36 Tire clearly goes over the fence into the stands full of people. Commentator: oh no, the pole money

[@thicccheese4007]

This year’s Indy 500 almost had another tragedy. Tire barely missed the stands, unfortunately it hit someone’s car but at least it wasn’t a person. I hope Indy is looking into this rather than acting like it’s no big deal because nobody got hurt, that was just luck.

[@Miskko]

3:15 please TELL ME I DIDNT HEAR PUMPED UP KICKS LMFAO

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

ON the topic of it being a perfectly reasonable idea to keep the race going, just a note that doing so would encourage most fans to stay in the stands, making it easier for medical personnel to make their way in and out of the stands and attend/escort the wounded to hospital.

[@RosTheHaroldClotFan]

(Sees tittle) *Has 1955 flashbacks*

[@johnhullinger1635]

I was at the 98 US 500, sitting in between turns 1 and 2. (Previous years I had always sat just one section over from where the tire landed.) We saw the ambulances behind the grandstand and later saw that a section of stands was covered with a blue tarp. But we had no idea what had happened until we heard it on the radio as we were waiting in traffic to leave the track. Awful day...

[@senororlando2]

Bro did you just call Lenny “Kenny?”

[@diggz1981]

I heard that too. Had to skip back coz I thought I missed heard.

[@AD-df5tm]

Haha yep, he sure did.

[@fitshamer]

I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to find this comment.

[@dzelpwr]

I remember watching that 98 U.S. 500 live. A couple days after, local paper told me two of the three that died lived in the town I was going to school at (Milan, MI). CART in 1999 started with the wheel tethers. F1 had come up with it first after a track Marshall was killed by a wheel/tire assembly. I would end up going to the U.S./Michigan 500 in 2000. The absolute best, most memorable race I've ever been to. Those cars were insanely fast and were passing eachother constantly. It was an epic, epic show. Montoya and Andretti side by side for the win, last lap, down to the wire.

[@Zonda1996]

Ah yes, the most beloved Simpsons character of all. Kenny.

[@tracid303]

Not Kenny! :O

[@jdaniel3068]

2009 I was at the Bristol autumn Busch race. Turn 2 about halfway up. Crash happens in turn 1, smthng immediately punches a hole in the aluminum bleacher seats 2 rows below us. Some sort of 10inch or so long metal rod. Anyone sitting there would have been impaled in their chest. It bounced and hit someone several rows away. BMS officials hurriedly took the person out and grabbed the piece and took off. I've attended races all over since the early 90s and that experience truly opened my eyes on the possibilities.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

This video is proof that Auto Racing is a dangerous sport regardless of the discipline

[@galoon]

Unfortunately, it is dangerous. Motor racing is pretty much the only sport that poses a risk to the spectator as well as the participant.

[@darthvader8744]

@@galoon Hunting exists and does sometimes have spectators

[@galoon]

@@darthvader8744 True enough. I don't view hunting as a sport though--fishing either. To me they're simply means of acquiring food.

[@darthvader8744]

@@galoon I hunt the Jedi for sport. I find your lack of faith disturbing.

[@galoon]

@@darthvader8744 I love it!! Thanks, Darth--I needed that :-)

[@robertsergott2635]

I was in turn 1 of the Michigan race. Had no idea until I got to the car to listen to the radio that anything bad had happened. This was the start of the end for MIS and Indycar/Cart. Attendence was still quite strong after the split, but if you go to the 1999 race you would see decreased attendence.

[@williambowen1771]

Watched both races. That's when they started arcing the top of the fencing out over the track

[@acenace24]

I’ll never forget the Kyle Larson Nationwide crash at Daytona that sent a tire into the stands and saw the engine penetrate the catch fence. I can’t believe someone didn’t get killed that afternoon.

[@baitbustersfishingoutdoors4709]

Me vibin': ALL THE OTHER KIDS WITH THE PUMPED UP KICKS!

[@dennisgary4494]

I was there this day. The reason for finishing the race was to keep fans in the stands so ambulances could get out quickly. CART was afraid if they just ended the race fans would pile out and block the roads the track is in the country with 2 lane roads

[@matthewmickles1997]

You know the risk going to a race, just as the driver's know the risk when they get in to the cars.

[@percyfaith11]

What's your point?

[@michaelhall736]

I remember when I was a little kid my dad took me to that Charlotte race where it happened. Although I didn't know what happened because we thankfully weren't anywhere near the incident. I knew there was a big crash but I didn't know what happened to the spectators. Although we ended up leaving before the race was finished. I think my dad knew what happened and wanted to get me out of there for my safety. It was a little before Humpty made that announcement that the race was cancelled.

[@hoozier2839]

3:20 who else herd pumped up kicks🤠

[@Ultegra10SPD]

87 Indy. Yes Big Al won his 4th but an earlier wreck had debris go into the crowd killing 1. It occured when Guerrero hit the debris sending it into the crowd (that is also how his clutch system in the nosecone got damaged which bit him famously on the last pitstop). Imagine if they called it then just after 130L. Who would've won? Mario Andretti. That would have truely been 'Andretti Luck/Andretti Curse'. -U10

[@andrewwinslow9315]

Sorry, but Pumped Up Kicks is never a good choice for a video like this

[@grundlebutter5624]

Love how pumped up kicks is playing in the background of this video during the Lowe's bomb threats...

[@jamesmcallister8124]

Yeah whenever I hear the name Russell Phillips a mental picture of that wreck just flashes in my head

[@SwampCeeMcGee60]

Same.

[@ajzwiebel]

July 26, 1998, I was there in Brooklyn Michigan. Nobody knew what was going on. We heard the sirens and saw the ambulances speeding around but were told nothing. It was listening to the radio on the way home that my father and I finally found out what had happened.

[@SuperfluousIndividual]

"You know the possible risk of watching in person" Yeah, if I'm dumb enough to watch a race in the outside of a corner waiting to see a car flying towards me... But then again, the video only shows oval racing, so... fairplay, I guess.

[@eNeRGizer99Nick]

Love your vids man, very informative for this Aussie, I know a lot of CART stuff but please more CART stories!! Love watching the Nascar stuff!!!!

[@FMecha]

Watching rally events in person is even more of a dangerous precedent... especially in Group B era.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Group B's spectator tragedies is an example of Social Darwinism and natural selection. Yeah Rallying is dangerous but standing right on the racing roads mere seconds before the cars come is among the dumbest things a person can do. I feel no remorse for the spectators who were killed and injured during Group B because it was their own stupidity that put them right in the line of fire, though I do feel remorse for the drivers, first responders, and family members for being impact by tragedy of stupidity.

[@JohnSmith-mk5jt]

@@FallingPicturesProductions I think that's unfair, because while standing right there by the track was not the safest strategy for, you know, not dying, the drivers themselves have already strapped into these death machines. To have no remorse for the fans standing by the track but feeling remorse for the drivers that died in these insanely dangerous Group B cars just seems like a double standard to me, because what they are doing is arguably just as dangerous as what these fans were doing. Though I still wouldn't recommend standing right beside a racetrack in a race with highly speedy and volatile rally monsters zipping around.

[@ThatSockmonkey]

So I was up at 3am local time to watch this race while you were being born. My son was born right before the Australian Grand Prix the next year.

[@BlueTrane2028]

When you mentioned your first birthday was in 1998, I suddenly felt very old. Haha.

[@galoon]

Me too! Where the heck did all that time go so fast?

[@FlashoftheBlades]

CART’s decision at MIS in 1998 reminds me of the decision to continue the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans even after the big crash that took Pierre Levegh’s life and 83 spectators. The fear was that if they stopped the race, the spectators leaving the track would hinder the movement of ambulances and those who were injured. If that’s the logic behind CART’s decision, I understand. The last thing you want in that kind of situation is for medical personnel to not be able to get help to those who need it, including getting them to hospital. Also, the full extent of the carnage likely wasn’t known at the time, unlike Charlotte 1999. With all that considered, I completely understand why CART handled the MIS 1998 tragedy the way they did and say that those who blasted the decision clearly have no idea how to run a race.

[@davidmckay1533]

Would be nice to have CC for those that can't hear.

[@maxmulsanne7054]

I second that. It should be on all videos, depending upon the original footage was broadcast in that format.

[@ryanwilson2016]

My father was severely injured in the early 90's from a hood which flew off a wrecking car. 10 months in a coma. Has never fully recovered. To be honest these types of accidents are extremely rare on the larger higher sanctioned speedways. Although the smaller local tracks are more common for this. There's only so much that can be done with the knowledge of the given time. The fact that at least these tracks are trying to prevent any future mishaps is commendable. Even with what has happened to my own family I still choose to race and go to as many races as possible. People need to understand that you cannot stop every bad situation possible, but can work towards making sure the same thing doesn't happen again. Don't let the rare ruin your life.

[@corvettelovertopdrives]

6:42 : IS THAT A SUPRA

[@kylerx1811]

Yes

[@LANDSPEED3K]

I thought I was the only one that saw it😂

[@854XTOY]

Holy shit good eye!

[@Maximum_speed918]

Where?

[@corvettelovertopdrives]

@@Maximum_speed918 it’s more like 6:44 yellow car on button right

[@saraw6446]

When Moto GP bikes were two strokes the one thing you couldn't replicate on TV was the smell. Walking through the trees before you got to Assen, you couldn't see the circuit yet but that smell & the noise of screaming two strokes was awesome.