The Most Horrific Crash in NASCAR History

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  • Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
  • In October 1995, NASCAR’s Sportsman Challenge was preparing for one of their biggest events of the year - the Winston 100 at Charlotte. This series was brought to life by Humpy Wheeler, and it was supposed to be a stepping stone for regional short-track racers to get experience on speedways before making a jump to NASCAR. However, at this race there would be one accident that was so brutal, that it led Humpy to discontinue the series.
    The Most Horrific Crash in NASCAR History
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 161

  • @Bowmanfan48-88
    @Bowmanfan48-88 3 місяці тому +108

    My dad was at this race. He remembers watching the helmet with Russell’s head in it roll down the banking. It haunts him to this day.

    • @troxyd7197
      @troxyd7197 3 місяці тому +4

      sorry for your dad

    • @CarlosEduardoLopez-li3zu
      @CarlosEduardoLopez-li3zu 2 місяці тому

      I am earing for this history but i dont belive that this apear in Nascar, i know a chace in formula 1 but in Nascar woow is horrible 😢

    • @johnskowronski4906
      @johnskowronski4906 Місяць тому

      What do you think of NASCAR now

    • @Bowmanfan48-88
      @Bowmanfan48-88 Місяць тому +1

      @@johnskowronski4906 I love it. It’s my favorite sport. My dad was never a big nascar fan but he would go with his buddies. I brought nascar back into my family. NASCAR is my favorite sport and I will never stop watching

    • @Jimmietwotimes
      @Jimmietwotimes Місяць тому +1

      Sorry but I have to wonder what that helmet head would be worth today. Imagine coming home with that a souvenir.

  • @patrickracer43
    @patrickracer43 3 місяці тому +57

    If you watch the video of the wreck you can see that the first safety worker on the scene didn't even try to help, not out of any ill feelings, but because Russell's arm was in the catch fence and his head was halfway down pit road

    • @24rules187
      @24rules187 3 місяці тому +16

      Also, the first guy you see with the fire extinguisher made a swiping motion across his neck towards the first responder and pointed at russels car giving the indication that he was DOA

    • @JJRacer43
      @JJRacer43 3 місяці тому +10

      He looked at his watch to check the time of death

    • @Switzerland3965
      @Switzerland3965 Місяць тому

      ​@@JJRacer43what?

  • @tommcglone2867
    @tommcglone2867 3 місяці тому +20

    This was just brutal. The guy was grated by the catch fence like a block of extra mature cheddar cheese.

  • @Venator1230
    @Venator1230 3 місяці тому +13

    That's some roman colosseum shite to have a competitor utterly dismembered, only to resume the race. Totally beyond medieval

  • @pettymike45
    @pettymike45 3 місяці тому +43

    Devastating accident😮
    I can only think of Tony Renna's testing crash in 2003 as being more brutal.

    • @ceeinfiniti1389
      @ceeinfiniti1389 3 місяці тому +15

      And the Le Mans 1955 disaster, along with Gordon Smiley.

    • @24rules187
      @24rules187 3 місяці тому +15

      @@ceeinfiniti1389 gordon smileys crash was brutal in so many ways, the only thing that didnt happen to Gordon was he didnt sever any limbs, other than that it was horrific

    • @smollerss5229
      @smollerss5229 3 місяці тому +7

      ​@@24rules187limbs no but its said his helmet flew off and pieces of metal scalped him

    • @24rules187
      @24rules187 3 місяці тому +3

      @@smollerss5229 yes, his helmet came off and the top of his skull was missing

    • @VladimirBlarp
      @VladimirBlarp 3 місяці тому +7

      As far as the graphic nature I think Phillips tops them all, IMHO. I don't know the specific details of the Renna crash, as there really isn't any descriptions and there was no video of it since it was a private test session. But the Phillips crash was seen by fans and many people saw the head rolling on the track and the severed upper body and hand in the catch fence. A truly horrific thing to witness.

  • @moarcast24
    @moarcast24 3 місяці тому +83

    The fact they continued on with the race is absolutely disgusting.

    • @jamieorange7073
      @jamieorange7073 3 місяці тому +6

      They stopped the race and never ran another lap

    • @elshowdehugo2926
      @elshowdehugo2926 3 місяці тому +4

      Gordon: Disgraceful
      James: Disgusting
      Henry: Despicable

    • @robertstone9988
      @robertstone9988 3 місяці тому +6

      Takes a big man to judge the past. Just heads up in 30 years they will be calling you the monster.

    • @MarkPentler
      @MarkPentler 3 місяці тому

      @@robertstone9988for what reason? I'd say they're fine.

    • @MarkPentler
      @MarkPentler 3 місяці тому +2

      @@jamieorange7073did you watch the same video?

  • @SoldiesBC
    @SoldiesBC 3 місяці тому +27

    Since we're on the topic of brutal crashes, maybe a Gordon Smiley video would be in order?

    • @VladimirBlarp
      @VladimirBlarp 3 місяці тому +10

      It's a visually horrific crash. I'm actually shocked that his body remained in 1 piece given the overall brutality of the hit

    • @mrtsukuba
      @mrtsukuba 3 місяці тому +1

      @@VladimirBlarp smiley's death is more brutal than tom pryce's death

    • @nascarfx9
      @nascarfx9 3 місяці тому

      ⁠what happened

    • @narv4_
      @narv4_ 2 місяці тому +2

      @@nascarfx9 Smiley lost control of his car entering a turn in an oval (I don't remember which track) but he crashed head-on against the barriers and his car disintegrated completely

    • @onaccountidontrecalec5130
      @onaccountidontrecalec5130 Місяць тому

      @@narv4_Indy

  • @HisBortness
    @HisBortness 3 місяці тому +7

    He doesn't show fatal impacts on this channel, he says, but he *will* show a guy burn to death 😂

  • @wethermanofmemes
    @wethermanofmemes 3 місяці тому +15

    One of the few examples of safety features being pushed beyond the limits

  • @dereknelson3089
    @dereknelson3089 3 місяці тому +38

    I still believe the Don MacTavish crash was visually the most brutal.

    • @billp5656
      @billp5656 3 місяці тому +6

      I agree !

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому +17

      It was really bad, undoubtedly. However, Don wasn’t completely ripped in half by the crash- Russell was. The fence acted like a shredder and just tore him apart. When you have to bring out hazmat suits to clean the track up- you know it’s really awful. They found a HAND in the catch fence, his helmet WITH HEAD on pit road. You don’t get any worse.

    • @gregorygolden1296
      @gregorygolden1296 3 місяці тому +5

      Yea, Don's crash was absolutely terrible. He was a standout in the Modifieds in the North East. GOD BLESS them All.

    • @toddknaperek8225
      @toddknaperek8225 3 місяці тому +1

      @@saragrant9749 No but once Sommers' car hit McTavish head on and completely exposed the impact ripped off of his legs. If you watch that crash I'm pretty sure you can tell what part of the flying debris they were.

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому +2

      @@toddknaperek8225 I’ve seen after the fact images of him in the car, and while his legs were severed the suit he was wearing kept them in place on him. The medics were able to get him on the stretcher in one shot. In Russell’s case they had to pull pieces of him out of the catch fence, off of pit road and then had to clean blood and body parts off the track itself. That’s substantially worse- they actually had to use hazmat equipment.

  • @gregorygolden1296
    @gregorygolden1296 3 місяці тому +15

    Putting people with money and limited experience on a speedway like Charlotte is....was a very bad idea. Humpy should of known better.

    • @FlashoftheBlades
      @FlashoftheBlades 3 місяці тому +2

      Especially in a racing setting. If it were done in a hot-lap setting, like qualifying but with more than just 1-2 laps, that would’ve been better. And that setting could still work today…if given the chance.

    • @neilpatrickhairless
      @neilpatrickhairless 20 днів тому

      The entire purpose of the series was to be a bridge between local short track racers and cup racing. Wasn't his fault the track was too big and bad for the traffic driving on it 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • @johncarter1137
    @johncarter1137 3 місяці тому +12

    One of my friends helped clean that mess up. He told me that he picked teeth up out of the stands. I was at Charlotte for a couple of those races, and they made me extremely nervous watching them from the infield.

  • @JamesStewart-lx5wb
    @JamesStewart-lx5wb 3 місяці тому +8

    As soon as finished this video, I went to watch the full crash. It's more disturbing than I could have imagined. You can literally see the moment his helmet and head went flying.

  • @jaykizer3488
    @jaykizer3488 3 місяці тому +4

    I'm pretty sure a lot of people were either really really sick or traumatized for life.

  • @kelsimorrison1222
    @kelsimorrison1222 3 місяці тому +7

    Rip Russell Phillips

  • @iBolt07
    @iBolt07 3 місяці тому +6

    Thank you for not having the brutal [[VISIBLE]] injury as the thumbnail >.

    • @MarkPentler
      @MarkPentler 3 місяці тому +2

      I don't think there really are any clear shots or video of it, are there?

    • @iBolt07
      @iBolt07 3 місяці тому +2

      @@MarkPentler i mean nothing beyond what's surprisingly available on UA-cam

    • @VladimirBlarp
      @VladimirBlarp 3 місяці тому

      @@MarkPentler there are some graphic images on Google

  • @theyoungamptech320
    @theyoungamptech320 Місяць тому +1

    Check out Martin Donnelly (spelling) getting ejected from his F1 car and living.

  • @Supercargamin
    @Supercargamin 3 місяці тому +7

    Rip russel philips

  • @greatunz67
    @greatunz67 Місяць тому +1

    Note to person narrating this video. 'Escape' is pronounced like S-sCape.. you are sayin Ex-Cape

  • @johnvandeventer8668
    @johnvandeventer8668 3 місяці тому +6

    Absolutely horrible

  • @The_Hillbilly_Hacker
    @The_Hillbilly_Hacker Місяць тому +1

    They put white sheets over his various body parts on the track.

  • @wayneadams7829
    @wayneadams7829 3 місяці тому +3

    A buddy of mine was there. He said his helmet went rolling towards pit road and his head was still in it

  •  3 місяці тому +2

    Sidenote: I don't think Richmond should me mentioned as a "big" track. Its technically still a short track.

  • @misseselise3864
    @misseselise3864 3 місяці тому +2

    to everyone wanting to hear about more brutal racing crashes, Motorsport Madness has a 2 part documentary about F1’s most horrific crashes. It’s incredibly well put together. The creator is planning on creating two more parts for the documentary. i highly recommend that channel as a whole but especially that documentary

  • @nascarsteve
    @nascarsteve Місяць тому +2

    My friend Marc Madison was in this race as well. I remember hearing about Russ's crash and how violent it was. I gave that issue of stock car racing with the Russell Phillips tribute to my youth pastor. He was a good guy and did a lot in his short time on earth. RIP.

  • @HowieDavis-lg1nu
    @HowieDavis-lg1nu 3 місяці тому +2

    I was there that day.... sad that they still ran the rest of that race. I was actually pulling for Stephen Howard, we are both from Greenville South Carolina. Some good races were ran in the long gone Sportsmans series.
    .

  • @ОлегСергеевич-м2б
    @ОлегСергеевич-м2б 2 місяці тому +1

    крутое раритетное видео , где можно єто увидеть полностью документально без остановок??

  • @RF-5935
    @RF-5935 3 місяці тому +2

    Hey i know this is off topic but next time you talk about concord just so you know its pronounced Con-cord, not concerd

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому

      Just like people have different pronunciations for potato and tomato, we each pronounce the name Concord differently based on accent.

  • @MikeKalasnik
    @MikeKalasnik 3 місяці тому +1

    They CONTINUED THE RACE after he was decapitated? WHAT!?!?!

  • @drbenmccullough2608
    @drbenmccullough2608 3 місяці тому +1

    I know its tragic to loose your life racing. ...every time you get into the car you could die. Its a risk..if your afraid to die. Stay home

  • @adastra4741
    @adastra4741 Місяць тому

    You say you don't show fatal impacts on your channel before showing two others a few minutes after. That's just dumb and hypocritical.

  • @fluidlinetech
    @fluidlinetech 3 місяці тому +1

    We ran in that series. Most drivers were in over their abilities. Some exceptions. The crashes were terrible,

  • @MarlboroGMGoodwrench
    @MarlboroGMGoodwrench 3 місяці тому +11

    This crash and Renna's crash are by far the worsts deaths at motorsport history 🫤

    • @robertstone9988
      @robertstone9988 3 місяці тому +3

      Gordon smiley

    • @Filip_Slazak
      @Filip_Slazak 3 місяці тому +3

      @@robertstone9988 In my Zbigniew Raniszewski fatal crash was most horrific crash in motorsport history.

    • @robertstone9988
      @robertstone9988 3 місяці тому +4

      I have pices of rennas car. I live in indy and my dad worked for a painting company that was working at the track that day.

    • @pettymike45
      @pettymike45 3 місяці тому +2

      @@robertstone9988 whoa that's crazy. How big?

    • @robertstone9988
      @robertstone9988 3 місяці тому +4

      @@pettymike45 small just slivers of carbon fiber. Obviously they didn't let any one down thare when it happend but when they swept up what was left some was left and that's what I got

  • @MGJDMNJ
    @MGJDMNJ 3 місяці тому +3

    Worst crashes
    Stock Cars - phillips
    F1 - Tom Pryce and the Marshall
    Indy/Cart - Gordon smiley/Tony Renna

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому +1

      F1- Tom Pryce and the marshal, Helmuth Koinnig at Watkins Glen (he was decapitated by the guardrail), Francois Cevert (he was sliced in half HORIZONTALLY by the guardrail- basically split up the middle). Tom’s was the most visually disturbing because it was caught on camera.
      You can also add Sebastian Enjolas crash in 1997- he was chopped up by the guardrail too in a practice crash where the bodywork came off his car at speed and caused him to flip along the guardrail.

    • @MGJDMNJ
      @MGJDMNJ 3 місяці тому

      @@saragrant9749 great points. Crazy that helmuth (sounds like helmet) was decapitated and Cevert (sounds like sever) was cut shoulder to hip. Those times were wild

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому

      @@MGJDMNJ they were, mainly because of improperly secured rails. Of course… the cars were pretty much death traps too.

    • @MGJDMNJ
      @MGJDMNJ 3 місяці тому +1

      @@saragrant9749 yup. Crazy enough I was at the Michigan 500 where Adrian Fernandez tire went into the crowd and killed three people. Wild

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому

      @@MGJDMNJ oh lord I remember that one. Same kind of incident that happened later at Charlotte. Thank goodness you couldn’t actually see what had taken place in the grandstands - in either one.

  • @victorvaughn4281
    @victorvaughn4281 3 місяці тому +1

    It genuinely angers me that they continued the race. His head was found by pit road how heartless do you have to be to make drivers continue after that

  • @Kerndog04
    @Kerndog04 3 місяці тому +1

    Interesting side note. There's still sportsman class races and race tracks around the country to this day. It's just not sactioned by nascar. Pretty much the same rules and cars as back in the day though

  • @stevenkilsdonk2046
    @stevenkilsdonk2046 3 місяці тому +1

    There are a lot of similarities to the Geoff Bodine truck crash from Daytona in 2000. Fortunately without the same level of damage to Geoff or his truck.

  • @nandorpalmai4852
    @nandorpalmai4852 3 місяці тому +1

    Why does it look like Kyle Larson 410 sprint car?

    • @nascarfan05
      @nascarfan05 3 місяці тому

      The only thing I can think of is that maybe Paul Silva who owns the 57 the Larson and a few others have driven possibly has some connection to Phillips, especially since it’s the exact same number font.

  • @moody9442
    @moody9442 2 місяці тому +1

    "he went to church". clearly didnt help his outcome.

    • @stevekelley7738
      @stevekelley7738 7 днів тому

      In the end nobody's outcome is protected from death by going to church or going to a bar, or anywhere or anything. We are all going to die, but the important thing is to know our Savior Jesus Christ !

  • @TrueGrandImperial
    @TrueGrandImperial 3 місяці тому +1

    I'm glad Humpy stopped accidentally killing guys

  • @TimberWolfer63
    @TimberWolfer63 3 місяці тому +1

    No doubt no other crash has been as brutal. Few can compete with it

  • @ryanlagoda1352
    @ryanlagoda1352 3 місяці тому +3

    While the natural curiosity of this crash is understandable just remember that Russel's friends and family are very much aware of the fact that this crash will continue to draw curiosity from those who want to not only hear and see it but also use it to create content that they intern benefit from and that hurts them in ways most of you will never understand. Given the opportunity to talk with some of them as I have you would likely not want any part in knowing what happened. If these videos are going to keep popping up by those looking to gain from the entertainment factor for your personal channel that's one thing..but atleast keep the comments humane. This day haunts those closest and even those just at the track that day in ways most of us will never understand. Rest in peace Russell..a GOOD man.

  • @tukn24s
    @tukn24s 3 місяці тому +7

    Side Note: its kinda of weird how much Larsons sprint car looks like this car

    • @nascarfan05
      @nascarfan05 3 місяці тому +3

      Even the number font for 57 sprint car that Larson and a few others have driven looks like the same one that was on the car Phillips drove which makes me wonder if Paul Silva who owns the 57 sprint car had any sort of connection to Phillips.

    • @DYLANMATHEWS49
      @DYLANMATHEWS49 3 місяці тому +2

      ​@@nascarfan05its probably silva, if not then its someone who is deep in the team with silva who was connected to russell or had worked for russell until his death

  • @donnymac990
    @donnymac990 3 місяці тому +2

    I say tony rennas or Sebastian enjolras crashes were even worse than this one

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому

      This was actually caught on camera- in full- that’s the one difference.

    • @donnymac990
      @donnymac990 3 місяці тому +1

      @@saragrant9749 I think both of the accidents are in video but will never be released for obvious reasons

    • @saragrant9749
      @saragrant9749 3 місяці тому

      @@donnymac990 you could very well be right.

  • @iracingdriver9
    @iracingdriver9 Місяць тому

    I have that McEachern truck as a diecast

  • @extragoogleaccount6061
    @extragoogleaccount6061 3 місяці тому +1

    These were Busch cars back then? The clips in this video have some terrible hits, but also the cars deform a ton in many of them. I watched Cup in the late 90's, but I dont remember cars deforming like papier-mache....were Busch cars made to a lesser standard back then?

    • @VladimirBlarp
      @VladimirBlarp 3 місяці тому

      Most of the cars in that series were former cup cars

    • @ModelKing1000
      @ModelKing1000 3 місяці тому +1

      no. mostly people who drove them professionally knew how to wreck them safely.

    • @DYLANMATHEWS49
      @DYLANMATHEWS49 3 місяці тому

      No these are not busch cars, these are a completely different sportsman leauge than the one that was the Predecessor of the Busch Series, this is more comparable to the Goodys Dash series i think

  • @DC322
    @DC322 3 місяці тому

    I first read about the incident from Stock Car Racing Magazine and read the gruesome details on the accident. Glad they didn't broadcast the sportsman race lived or taped because there is no way to show the graphic crash on tv like that. That was the end of the sportsman series.

  • @miketag7541
    @miketag7541 3 місяці тому +1

    Rip russell

  • @KellieLeigh48
    @KellieLeigh48 3 місяці тому +1

    No words 😢

  • @af4od02
    @af4od02 Місяць тому

    I can’t help but wonder if the drivers and teams had real good two way radio communications with a crew member monitoring track conditions high up in the stands like the cup series, would these terrible wrecks been avoided. These wrecks appeared to look like everyone was driving wide open until they hit something. These teams were on tight budgets.

  • @carterhealy
    @carterhealy 3 місяці тому

    Didn’t you already do a video on this before?

  • @JoshPutnamfan212theFlorencefla
    @JoshPutnamfan212theFlorencefla 3 місяці тому

    I’m good buddies with Jeff purvis and he raced dirt late models back then

  • @JeromyBranch
    @JeromyBranch 3 місяці тому

    There were plenty of reports even before this accident that teams were lightening the cars on top to lower the center of gravity by using thinner wall roll cages. Not a whole lotta inspectin goin on.

  • @cornholio47
    @cornholio47 3 місяці тому

    Yeah it’s either this or Friday hassler’s crash

  • @nightmarewatcher24
    @nightmarewatcher24 3 місяці тому

    As a wise man once said “anything that can go wrong will go wrong “

  • @NRSRACINGNETWORK
    @NRSRACINGNETWORK 3 місяці тому

    charlotte--> guillotine

  • @adampatterson5475
    @adampatterson5475 3 місяці тому +2

    I love how people look down and not consider racing a sport. It is literally a blood sport

  • @Foxracing218
    @Foxracing218 3 місяці тому

    😢🫶🏻

  • @adampatterson5475
    @adampatterson5475 3 місяці тому

    Worst incident in sports history

  • @wxracer23
    @wxracer23 3 місяці тому +1

    Humpy wheeler is a bad person

  • @JayStephens8
    @JayStephens8 3 місяці тому +2

    Awful the fact the race continued was disgusting

  • @kfilarski
    @kfilarski 3 місяці тому +4

    Usually im a little annoyed when people want to make a video about a serious topic and then want to censor the content they are bringing to their video, like not showing fatal accidents. Just show us the footage if its already easily accessible.
    However on this rare occasion, looking up the video of the accident led me to learn more about the driver than I would have otherwise, because in the comments of this video (ua-cam.com/video/LDU0fP1qzqY/v-deo.html) is a nice statement from David' Gaines's sister thats worth a read.

  • @Coolboyww22
    @Coolboyww22 3 місяці тому

    saaaaaaaaad😢

  • @Supercargamin
    @Supercargamin 3 місяці тому +1

    First view 24 seconds

  • @Jimmietwotimes
    @Jimmietwotimes Місяць тому

    Ironically, if he hadn't been an undiagnosed dyslexic, he wouldn't have gone into the wall backwards and upside-down.

    • @HattieJosh
      @HattieJosh Місяць тому +1

      Not funny

    • @stevekelley7738
      @stevekelley7738 7 днів тому

      If you truly watch the video in detail his car did not hit the wall upside down or backwards.