As crazy as it sounds, the 'spinny/flippy' accidents are much safer than they appear. Because when the car is doing all those flips, it is dissipating energy. It's the direct hits to walls that are the most dangerous.
As long as you’re flipping and spinning physics, gravity and inertia are working to slow the car down. What you do not want is to touch any outside object except the ground such as a wall, fence, another car or guardrail that has mass to aid or impede natural energy expulsion. As far as the safety, you can see pics online of all the safety items they have and wear: including a fire suite.
@@billybob042665 I think you missed the point. Today, the drivers are basically part of the car with all the restraints... harnesses, HANS, the seats, etc. Not a lot of ability to go flailing around at that point.
It is still a lot of G's in a split second, the body is not built to take those over and over. One of the reasons Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to quit. Specially the guy going hard sideways into the wall after avoiding the guy spinning out was a massive shunt. Like Danica Patrick at Daytona 2012. Also i would note that the walls on these ovals today absorb a lot of the initial impact. But still, you don't to be in it when it happens because it will hurt.
I raced cars myself. And although it may seem insane to see these cars fly through the air hit walls with tremendous force, it is pretty safe. Those roll cages are built very well.
They also wear helmets, seat belts and fire retardant suits. All of this and the safety gear on these race cars are the reasons why you don't see hardly any fatalities on NASCAR tracks anymore.
The cars are designed to fly apart to help absorb the impact and the walls around the sides of the track made with a hardened Styrofoam with regularly spaced gaps between the outer foam wall and the inner cement or concrete inner walls. The drivers are in reinforced safty cages and the seats now have side panels that extends forward to help protect the drivers head along with a strap that attaches to the back of the drivers seat and the back of the drivers helmet. The drivers are strapped in to the seat which helps keep them immobilized so they can't fly foward and hit the dashboard or windshield. Also what you saw on the track we see on the highways it's called rush hour.
The worst crashes are the ones that don't look that bad.. the flips look bad but they allow the driver to not have to take the complete impact of the hit.. no doubt Dale would of still died even with a harness like today's. That's a million to 1 chances of hitting the wall like he did..
Courtney, the last fatality in NASCAR racing was Dale Earnhardt Sr in 2001. Since then, safety has been greatly improved. From re-enforced roll cages to the seats the drivers seat to head and neck restraint systems, the governing body has made great strides in safety. When you see the accidents where parts are flying, that is a good thing. It dissipates energy. Earnhardt’s crash involved him hitting the wall head on and his seat belt failed due to improperly being applied. If you come to America, a NASCAR event is a slice of Americana you don’t want to miss.
Sit in a parking lot and think of the whole group moving up to 200 mph and bump around. That's what it's like. The drivers are athletes in their own right with constant G forces and the concentration. Some drivers will literally loose 7-10 pounds in a race. The cockpit can be up to 130 degrees and a race can last 3-4 hours or more.
Courtney Coulston yep. I never made it past dirt tracks, but even that gave me the utmost respect for this sport. 200mph in a fueled rocket over a ton within inches, sometimes actually touching each other at that speed. Imagine having to play a chess game with 60 other players at the same time wile under the heat and the vibrations of driving a car at 180+ mph around the track, battling the wind and other cars debris for hours all wile monitoring communications and performing strategies from your pit crew and having to watch and anticipate every other cars move 3-5moves BEFORE they make them and not breaking concentration for a split second. Not a sport for the weak of heart and mind.
Not just the drivers are athletes but the whole team is, the pit crew has just about the same amount of g-forces going through their body every pit stop as the driver has going around the track. This crew has to replace all four tires, fill it with fuel, and or make adjustments to both the front and the rear of the car in only 15 seconds.
Although we did see a lot more saves when the wings were on the cars due to the extra down force. Perhaps the wings could be redesigned so that they didn't produce upwards lift when traveling backwards in the future.
One of the newer safety devices is the “ SaferBarriers”. These are designed to absorb the impact. The drivers are in a “ roll cage”, and the seat is designed to keep the driver in and tight. They have big collars around their necks, and a lot of other safety equipment. In the past, there were a lot of deaths. Now there haven’t been one for years. 📻🙂
the "big collars" are called HANS device, believe it stands for Head And Neck Strap? ..lemme google this.. *one googling later* nope it means Head and Neck Support. Civilian cars dont need these as they have airbags, racecars do not.
@@halla9538 it was invented around 2000-2001 along with kill switches and dumb switches after the deaths of 3 drivers in 2000( Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin jr, and Tony Roper, first two were killed at the same racetrack on the same turn during Testing/Qualifying only six month apart due to hung throttles. around the same time Nascar was trying to outlaw open face helmets (like Dale wore) it wasnt until after Sr death that the safer barriers (which some tracks already had) were put in at speedways. along with making the HANS device mandatory
these cars are literally traveling faster than it takes a jumbo airliner to take off a runway. the slightest mishap will mess up the aerodynamics and send it crashing.
Yup, unlike most other race series, NASCAR uses very little down force in comparison. These cars are on the edge of lifting off the ground in the first place.
before they added those side parts on the racing seat for the head they would legit snap there neck on impact bc of the whiplash you dont realize how fast there going until you see and hear them in real rife if you got to a nascar race bring earplugs ive been to an airshow on a military base with Fighter jets going supersonic and honestly nascar was just as loud
There's a few quotes circulating in regards to Elliot at Talladega. They asked his son if he thought he could handle that car and he said no. Bill himself said that car was on the edge of out control. One of the fastest cars I've ever seen.
8:40 So hard to avoid getting into it... imagine going so fast that you suddenly stand on the brakes and slow down 100mph.... and you're still going 100mph.
Yes, these cars are basically built around a very strong roll cage structure inside the cabin area. And most of the rest of the car is meant to break away in big impacts. When a driver gets into an accident, he just folds his arms close to his chest and goes for a ride. The only time they are rushed to get out of the car is if it's on fire.
Those barriers and catch fences are specifically engineered to flex and then snap back to sort of "bounce" the car off of them a little bit and redirect the impact energy while keeping the car generally on or near the racing surface. In a car accident, speed suddenly to zero is what causes most fatalities, by redirecting the car's impact rather than stopping it, it prevents the sudden stop, reducing the effect on the driver and increasing survivability.
To answer your question about who helps them during the crash. Every speedway has a crew of firefighters and paramedics who are specifically trained to deal with hi speed crashes. My local speedway has a crew of 10 firefighters and 4 paramedics during a race and I believe most big speedways has a airevac helicopter as well.
Hi Courtney as crazy as it sounds, the spinny/flippy accidents are much safer then they appear. Because when the car is doing all those flips, it is dissipating energy, it's the direct hits to walls that are the most dangerous.
I love this reaction. I come from a racing family and have seen these kinds of accidents for so many years that they seem just slightly worse than usual. Its wonderful to see a fresh point of view. I can suddenly see just how violent these accidents really are
3:12 That was Carl Edwards & Ryan Newman at Talladega. I was at that race, and several rows up on that very same turn. VERY scary, and thank God everyone walked away.
Daniel Meeker i was at the race too i was sitting in front of pit entry when i saw Edwards hit the fence I thought it was dale jr because he was in the nat guard car
@@brianbaird3 Should we tell her that television doesn't do NASCAR justice? She MUST go to an actual live race!!!! You can FEEL the power of these cars in your chest!
5:07 I was watching this one live when it happened. I thought for sure the driver definitely had died after that last massive impact. The camera's wouldn't even focus on the wreck afterwards because they were afraid to possibly show body parts, and they wouldn't play the replay again until after they knew that the driver had lived.
As an American who watches NASCAR all the time I've become hardened by these crashes, I don't even react to them when I see them in person or on video. I'm just so used to it. Also the guy in the truck crash as 5:12 was taken to a nearby hospital in serious but stable condition but he survived. The sheer force of air when the truck hit the catch fence sent a few spectators in the stands flying a few feet off the ground.
The biggest reason the drivers can walk is because the cars are designed to rip apart in crashes. As you have seen, this throws that momentum away from the driver and brings the car to a halt in a safe manner. They do have reinforced cages and straps to hold the drivers in place and keep the car from caving in on top of them. This design is used in many other sports like F1, V8 Super, Super GT and the endurance racing series' like Le Mans.
Its not just the roll cages that make those cars so safe, but the many advancements in driver safety over the years that have added to their ability to go through these terrible wrecks with little to no injury. The Head And Neck Support (or HANS for short) device was created after the last fatal crash in the NASCAR Cup series back in 2001 (Dale Earnhardt was killed when he broke his neck in a head on collision with the wall in turn 4 on the last lap of the Daytona 500) and was made mandatory for all drivers. This device not only presses against the drivers shoulders and helmet to not let their neck move much in case of an accident, but it is also attached to their seat. Their seats are also molded to fit the driver perfectly, keeping them in place as well as being more comfortable.They are also held into the seat with a multi point harness (I think its a 6 point). All of those and more combine to make the drivers body basically just not move in case of a wreck, making them able to withstand heavy impacts at high speed often with maybe the wind getting knocked out of them at the worst. And in case of fire, they all wear fire suits and track personnel can be to them in seconds with fire extinguishers. The cars themselves are also full of features that make things like rollovers less likely, but not impossible. The roof flaps that come up when a car gets sideways deflect the air in such a way that makes it less likely to achieve lift. And most tracks have also lined the walls with what is called a SAFER barrier. Essentially, it is a type of barrier that sits on the track side of the outer wall that absorbs energy from collisions by moving with the car for a certain amount of space, making hits to the wall not nearly as bad. Of course, they cant put this everywhere so injuries still happen with wall collisions, but they are drastically reduced. Usually, the worst kind of hit a driver might have is with a wall that doesnt have a SAFER barrier or with another car that might be much slower or stopped. Or if you're Jaun Pablo Montoya, a jet dryer... I know something broke on his car so it wasn't his fault, but that was just funny (no one got hurt, but the track was on fire for awhile). With all that said, injuries still happen. They are far more rare than they used to be, but they still happen. Racing is inherently dangerous, no matter how safe they may make the cars and the tracks. But... It is a hell of a lot safer than it used to be. Nowadays, NASCAR is probably one of the safest of the major racing leagues due to their fully enclosed cockpit cars (compared to F1 or Indycar) and the tracks they race on being well suited for their cars. I've been a NASCAR fan since I was little (early 2000s) so these wrecks dont really phase me, but seeing your reactions reminds me of just how crazy they can be... I saw Austin Dillon's trip into the catch fence at Daytona live on TV and that one scared me a bit.
This sport is very popular in the USA because the cars somewhat resemble normal cars. It's not the fastest motorsport by any means, but because the cars are built to look like a normal car, there's some instances of "trading paint", riding on your bumper, and being bunched together to streamline airflow. They race 36 races a year with the most prestigious being at Daytona Beach, Florida just south east of Jacksonville. The Daytona 500. The last fatal crash in a race was on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. Dale Earnhardt (5-time world champion) died on turn 4 protecting his teammates (Michael Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.). There was a time when cars and tracks were not all that safe and it wasn't uncommon for racers to die in horrible crashes. Thank you for reacting to this. As for "procedures? There's always ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, and air blowers on standby whenever any accident happens. Also, the race goes under caution and a pace car comes out to slow down the rest of the field until the track is cleared.
I am a big Nascar fan, and seen all of these crashes. I’m not numb to these crashes, but it was so entertaining to watch you reaction. You realize just how bad these crashes really were.
Courtney, if you get the chance look up Davey Allison's wreck at Pocono. He flipped eight times. He had a broken wrist, arm, color bone and severe facial swelling and he raced the next weekend. Very tough driver.
@@gokartsandcars9588 Are you sure its the engines? I know the clutch only survives one run, but I doubt they have time for the entire engine... I could be wrong, but that just doesnt sound right.
Just remember that NASCAR is NOT about the wrecks. Though wrecks are a major part of racing, it's not the reason anyone should follow racing. Still, great video!
Go react to the Isle of Man motorcycle races there on motorcycles going like 200 mph most of the time I promise you even the on boards are so intense makes you want to put on a helmet watching the video
Courtney, great video. If I may make some additional NASCAR recommendations: Nascars’s greatest Big Ones NASCARs greatest finishes NASCAR Fights There have been many memorable moments in nascar’s 70 year history whether it’s crashes, finishes or rivalries. Some may find NASCAR boring because, for the most part, it is 40 cars going in circles for 3 hours. but if you dedicate yourself to it like I have, you get to witness these remarkable moments that just make you go “WOW.” This is why I fell in love with this sport.
No not at all that's not an ok statement people would die inna wreck. Even with this many safety features. We watch it to see racing drives bumping and rubbing, Pushing eachother 200mph down the Daytona straight or the craziness of the brickyard.
I was attending a few of these, mostly at Talladega. When the #99 car, Carl Edward's hit the catch fence... It hit slightly to my left, and the carburetor went through the fence... Hit a lady in the jaw, sitting next to me. It fractured her jaw. I had boiling hot fluids, some sheet metal hit me in the face. I refused treatment, and drove home. Kudos on the videos!
Nick J the scariest thing about Dale's death imo isn't so much it happened but what he said after the wreck on lap 173 "Richard, if they don't do something to these cars, it's going to get someone killed."
The crash at 5:08 (2000 Daytona 250) was the worst of Geoff Bodine's career. Bodine was in the truck that got launched into the catch fence. He only missed 10 races recovering from this crash, and retired 12 years later.
They should have fixed the track the first time. That's Bristol... it didn't used to have a tunnel to the infield, there was an extremely heavy steel gate in the outer wall for access. Apparently, this gate was able to be closed but not quite properly latched. Mike Harmon here, in 2002, hit the gate and it opened, and the end of the wall ripped his car apart. The unbelievable part is that this happened in 1990 to Michael Waltrip, this is the second time! NASCAR then said "no sir!" and an infield tunnel was put in that year and the gate done away with. Neither Harmon or Waltrip were seriously injured, even though their cars essentially disintegrated around them. Waltrip actually had his feet on the track when his car stopped... why? Because everything tore *away* from the drivers, nobody directly hit them, and the action of coming apart used up all the energy in the system. And Bristol's a short track, the impact wasn't as fast as other tracks.
Hi courtney hope u enjoyed a bit of our sport. Biggest problem is when the cars spin backwards..the air cannot escape due to the front air dam (the part that is almost touching the ground) so it packs underneath and tries to lift the car. Theoretically the roof flaps prevent this and sets the car back down, but not always as uve seen...the crashes that happen are essentially physics on a massive scale.
The crash of Dan Wheldon was a brutal crash because he was awake and alert when the paramedics got him out. The same day the same race was canceled and the racers held a lap around the track in his honor.
The problem with these videos is that they make a stereotype of the sport. People watch these and think that the sport is only turning left and wrecking which isn’t the case there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes.
Ths sport has done so well with making the cars so safe. They added fireproof suits, a HANS device that keeps your head from moving as much, improved catchfences for airborne wrecks, roof flaps, safer barrier on wall to absorb impact, more bars in the roll cage, etc
@@CourtneyCoulston If you want to follow up, here are some videos... ua-cam.com/video/HYeuSTunJQE/v-deo.html is short but has good views inside a car and shows some of the safety functions ua-cam.com/video/-eHrV_x0_lo/v-deo.html is a little out of date but is a great historical reference to when and what was changed. Fair warning that there are some fatal accidents in this video but no 'gore'. ua-cam.com/video/ALHW4zqKB6E/v-deo.html is again a little outdated, it's last gen, but FANTASTIC info and you've seen this accident already, but get to see the driver's just fine :)
Hi Courtney, I've seen a few of your videos but was impressed to see you cover this one. I know you're from New Zealand but semi local to you, Australia gave us Marco Ambrose who raced in NASCAR's Cup series (the highest tier) for about eight years. Anyway, thought you'd want to hear from someone who's raced and been in similar crashes. I've raced in Street Stock, Late Models and Sprint cars (sprints are the ones with the big wings on the top). All classes I raced in were on dirt ovals here in the states. I did race road courses and ovals in go-karts (not the kind you can get in at amusement park, lol). Imagine go karts an inch and half off the ground that have the capability of doing 70+ mph. On a road course you don't mad out that speed by any means but the acceleration and being that close to the ground is intense. I've flipped one of those too but you are just thrown from it like if you were racing motorcycles. As for the larger cars, specifically the late models which are a full body stock car, it can almost seem like slow motion and you never know when it will end. There is almost a call when youre airborne. It may be a split second but it feels longer. It's when you get hit again or hit the wall that your adrenaline kicks in again. You want to naturally hold on but when the car is barrel rolling, you almost can't it wants to throw your arms out to your sides. It's part of the reason so many safety features are in current, modern day racecars. I have the video paused so I don't know if it will show it in this one but look up RYAN NEWMAN 2020 DAYTONA 500. I actually have it on my channel now that I think about it. I have a business channel and a personal one, I posted that on the channel linked to this profile.
Courtney Coulston thanks Courtney and maybe after that u could react to "Zion Williamson" he's the next big superstar in the NBA and he's the thiccest NBA player
1:12 - That was the crash of Austin Dillon. He ended up going airborne, flew into the catch fence and (what as left of) his car landed back on the track upside-down only to be hit by another car. AND HE WALKED AWAY! The crowd roared when he got out and waved to them to show he was ok. The safety features of these cars are incredible.
The crash at 2:10 involving the flipping car of Ken Schrader, one of my all time favorite drivers, has a spectacular view from a car driven by Jeremy Mayfield. He was behind all this and suddenly the #25 flies through the air. You should be able to find it. Talladega Superspeedway where most of these crashes occurred is an insane track!
Courtney, the drivers have a signal to the NASCAR Safety Crew, the people who respond to the wrecks, is that if they are OK, they take down their window net. If they are not OK, as in the cases of the Late, Great Dale Earnhardt, the window net stays up due to the driver being knocked out or unable to release it due to an broken arm, etc.
If you can ever get to Florida to experience a race at Daytona (non-Covid year lol), it is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have. If you make a trip out here, its amazing. Lots of good food, and you have lots of options (infield, pit pass, and grandstand). Orlando (Disney/Universal) and Brevard County (Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, etc.) are but an hour away. Just the sounds and the atmosphere is amazing. If you are interested in military history too, St. Augustine (oldest American City) is 45 minutes north. Patrick SFB (formerly Banana River Naval Station and Patrick Air Force Base) is near Cocoa.
The Elliot Sadler wreck at 5:30 is hard to get the picture of because the camera didn't capture most of it because Kurt Busch's wreck was more flashy. But that's easily one of the hardest hits I've seen. he went head first into the corner of the metal gate and dirt at full speed, no SAFER barrier.
I was at a dirt track race in Lake City, FL about 15 years ago where a car didn't make the turn and went straight up the banked turn and launched up and came down through the powerlines to the track. The driver lived, but never raced again.
Just saying but if you haven’t already, look up Ryan Newman Daytona 500 Crash 2020. He walk out of the hospital no less than 48 hours after it had happened. Truly a miracle of how safe this cars have become
There’s been major safety innovations over the last 20 years since sr’s wreck. As far as who helps then there are multiple saftey crews at every track and an in field care center. As far as “if one person f’s up everyone pays,” yes and there is serious driver etiquette about driving in traffic. Especially with restrictor plate races. Every driver at the three highest levels has a spotter constantly telling them where other drivers are. Its a ballet at 200mph
the crash that happened at 2:24 happened in Bristol, Tennessee during practice runs....the driver not only survived, but he unfastened his harness and stood up where he was sitting before the medical team came to take him to the infield care center for a checkup
My parents were friends with Bobby and Donnie Allison and their wives and we kids grew up with Davey and Clifford. Bobby's crash at Talladega was the one that led to restrictor plates and was, at that time, one of the scariest in NASCAR. Now, it looks almost tame by comparison to some of them. Surprised you didn't have Davey's crash at Pocono.
You should also watch some of the dirt track sprint car races too that will get your heart pumping for sure, 1100lb car, 800hp motor, going 150mph on dirt and you can only see in front of you and some to your left, you have to feel where the front end of the car is because you can't see it ! It's FUN ! (Old dirt track driver here) :)
Courtney, Daytona and Talladega are notorious for having a type of wreck called "The Big One" because the cars all bunched up together since both of those tracks require restrictor plates.
The one with the trucks and the fire happened literally as my sister was being born and my step father and other family (and even some passing hospital staff) were so shocked by the wreck (because it was just what was playing on the tv in the room) they missed my sister being delivered 😂
The roll cage is everything. Earnhardt Jr. said they toss like a roller coaster, the main concern is that they let go of the wheel so their arms don't swing out of the window .
NASCAR drivers are the coolest cucumbers around. I saw a car get sideways in a turn, flip, do a complete 520 sideways, land on the roof and skid the entire back stretch and halfway through the turn before coming to a stop with the bottom of the car on fire. The driver climbed out, stood up, look at the fire for a moment, then calmly walked away towards the infield shaking his head.
I have watched my share of car races and have seen so many accidents, but these made my mouth drop. You have to be boss to say that flipping is not the hard part, it's the landing that hurts.
I was involved in a huge automobile accident which I ended up rolling my truck 7 times at 70 mph and eventually went airborne 25 feet in the air flying over the concrete divider on the highway and eventually landed in the fast lane of the other side of the highway! Ended up with a severely broken compound fractured leg in 5 places! 😳🤢🤮 And I cant even begin to try and explain just how EXTREMELY VIOLENT that crash was ! So seeing these crashes makes me have 100% pure respect for these Drivers/athletes !!!
It’s the big one, baby. @ 7:45, I had the opportunity to attend the race where Bobby Allison got into the fence. Would have been sitting close to the impact area.
The worst part was, that even if you see a car make what seemed like a glancing deflective blow, that could instantly shave a decent chunk of speed and kill the driver. A scenario like that was what caused Dale Earnhardt's fatality. He received a Basilar Skull Fracture due to him not having a head restraint. In a crash, your body is strapped to a seat, but if your head isn't, your head will literally want to fly off your torso, so the spine and spinal cord gradually stretch to the point that you receive a fracture on the base of your skull, literally because your spinal cord is trying to pull your brain out of it's skull. Street vehicles have airbags to fulfill the need, but after Dale's death, NASCAR adopted the HANS device to be standard safety equipment.
Nascar, formula one, circuit, and all the other types of car racing are why safety has improved so much in the automotive industry. Engineers can look at the hi speed crashes on the racetrack and figure out how to make cars safer for them. The equipment that works will eventually be put on regular cars in one way or another.
2:26 - The car was sliced in half and struck by another car. The driver simply walked out of his car. This was almost identical to Michael Waltrip's crash in 1990 in the same part of the same track (look up "Michael Waltrip Bristol Crash"; he was also uninjured). 2:55 - This was Rusty Wallace's second serious flip that season and the crash that led to NASCAR putting roof flaps on the cars (because they generate lift when traveling backwards at high speeds, roof flaps pop up when the car starts going backwards and generate more downforce). 3:07 - Carl Edwards got out of his car and jogged across the finish line. 3:51 - Ricky Rudd suffered severe bruising during the crash (this was at the Busch Clash, an exhibition race held leading up to the Daytona 500) and he raced in the Daytona 500 with his eyes taped open so he could see. This led to NASCAR mandating that all drivers who crash out of a race have to be examined by the NASCAR medical team. 5:06 - Everyone thought Geoff Bodine was dead (he survived and continued racing for another 10+ years; he now designs and builds bobsleds). This is the worst non-fatal NASCAR crash I've ever seen. 7:37 - Bobby Allison's crash was the reason why NASCAR implemented restrictor plates for Daytona and Talladega (the fastest tracks in the world). Bill Elliott's qualifying speed for that race still stands as a stock car record (212.809 MPH average lap speed), and was only 3 MPH slower than Mario Andretti's Indy 500 pole speed from the same year. The cars became too fast to be safe. Bobby Allison blew a tire at the fastest part of the fastest track (IIRC, he was estimated to be going around 215 MPH at that moment) and flew into the catch fence; debris from his car still managed to injure spectators, and Allison thought he struck the flagman (whose stand is directly over the start/finish line; Allison did come very close to hitting him, though). The ambulance crew wouldn't let him look at the aftermath, so Allison assumed several people had been killed. NASCAR is very quick to implement safety measures as the result of crashes. "Fireball" Roberts's death resulting from burns sustained in a crash in 1964 would speed the development of fireproof clothing (Roberts had serious asthma and didn't use fire retardant chemicals on his driving suit as it made it very difficult for him to breathe). Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 made NASCAR require drivers to wear full-face helmets (Dale wore an older-style open-face helmet) and the HANS device (meant to secure a driver's head and neck; Dale didn't think they were comfortable and felt that they impeded his ability to see the track).
NASCAR has gotten incredibly safe the last 20 years with safer barriers ( runs along the outside walls and most inside walls, it absorbs the impact of crashes), greatly designed roll cages, HANS device (Head and Neck Safety), seats that are custom to the driver’s body, etc.
The crash at around 2:25 used to be, maybe still is (?) considered the worst crash ever. It happened during qualifying. He hit a moveable section of the wall used to get vehicles into the infield. In doing so, he hit the butt end of the concrete shearing the car in two down the centerline completely exposing the driver. The other car hit right behind the driver and took off the left rear of the car. When it was all done, the driver unbuckled and stepped out to his right and stood up completely unscathed. The remains of the car are in the museum. The wreck at the 8:00 mark ended Bobby Allison's career. It was before restrictor plates were introduced to slow the top speed of the cars down on tracks considered to be 'super speedways'. The mention going 210 which was about the average on the straight stretches on super speedways in the mid 80's. After that, the restrictor plate ( a plate with undersized holes installed under the carburetor to slow the cars down ) is responsible for most of the huge multi car pile ups you see. They make the cars mostly equal, so they run bunched up. When one guy bobbles a little, it can start a chain reaction taking out a large portion of the field.
Fun Fact about Ryan Newman: He Had multiple cars on his car in his career, 5 to be exact… Carl Edwards 2009 Aarons 499, Kurt Busch 2013 Aarons 499, Dylan Lupton 2016 Federated Auto Parts 400, Jamie McMurray 2018 Geico 500 Practice and William Byron 2018 MC Masterpiece 400 + He was on top of Cars twice (Daytona 2020 on top of Corey LaJoie and at Talladega in 2009)
Yes, the racecars are pretty well reinforced with roll caging in the cabin area. Still, when you take a hit in any way, you're still gonna feel it...unless you get knocked out.
If you are planning on attending to one or several, I recommend Talladega Superspeedway first. A good portion of these clips were from there. I always take a first timer there to get them hooked. Their next race is at the end of April.
Been loving your videos, never thought you'd add NASCAR. Didn't even occur to me even though my dad is a nut for this sport. Looking forward to more. I'm no expert, but will say, there is a Hell of a lot more to this sport than crashes. Love to ya Courtney!
1:50 the cars are built with extensive safety features. The drivers are strapped into the seats I think with 5 point harnesses, similar to what military helicopter pilots wear (a design which was actually developed by a monster truck driver after he realized he had survived a crash by blind luck and needed a better harness than what he had) The cabin of the car is surrounded by a rigid roll cage, and I believe the bodies of the cars are made of plastic instead of fiberglass, which is lighter, improving the car's fuel economy, but those lighter parts are also easier to pull free which tends to make the accidents look a bit more dramatic than they otherwise might. In short though, although these cars might look on the outside like most other cars on the road, inside they're completely different and designed to compensate for this kind of stuff.
As crazy as it sounds, the 'spinny/flippy' accidents are much safer than they appear. Because when the car is doing all those flips, it is dissipating energy. It's the direct hits to walls that are the most dangerous.
That's so true and such a good point! I hadn't thought about that!
and a direct impact to the wall is what killed dale earnhardt and most other drivers.
Yep, once your car starts flipping, you're at the mercy of physics
As long as you’re flipping and spinning physics, gravity and inertia are working to slow the car down.
What you do not want is to touch any outside object except the ground such as a wall, fence, another car or guardrail that has mass to aid or impede natural energy expulsion.
As far as the safety, you can see pics online of all the safety items they have and wear: including a fire suite.
Matthew Lyman but now they have the safer barriers
Reactors: OMG! There's no way he can survive that
Nascar Fans: Ehh, he's okay, he's fine
So true 🤣
newman is the only accident that i have been terrified, other then that big crashes are like HOLY SHIT THATS AMAZING
Sparkyboi04 what about Austin Dillon in the 2015 Daytona wreck you know the one that he killed a catch fence
@@Synx-kc6jv no i was not, the car seemed intact somehow but newmans roll cage was snapped i could tell so thats why i was terrified
Sparkyboi04 oh ok
They damn near bolt those guys in to the cockpit like a NASA astronaut. The amount of protections built into those cars is insane.
@@billybob042665 I think you missed the point. Today, the drivers are basically part of the car with all the restraints... harnesses, HANS, the seats, etc. Not a lot of ability to go flailing around at that point.
Yeah it only took half a dozen deaths in the 90s and early 00s for them to fix their shit
It is still a lot of G's in a split second, the body is not built to take those over and over. One of the reasons Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to quit. Specially the guy going hard sideways into the wall after avoiding the guy spinning out was a massive shunt. Like Danica Patrick at Daytona 2012. Also i would note that the walls on these ovals today absorb a lot of the initial impact. But still, you don't to be in it when it happens because it will hurt.
Take a shot everytime she says “oh my goodness “
So much for no fatalities.
No shit dude
I did lol
glenn porter i don’t want to know what happened lol.
You want me to die due to fatal brain damage? There would be definitely no chance of surviving 😆
I raced cars myself. And although it may seem insane to see these cars fly through the air hit walls with tremendous force, it is pretty safe. Those roll cages are built very well.
That's so cool!! The safety features that i've learned about are incredible!!
They also wear helmets, seat belts and fire retardant suits. All of this and the safety gear on these race cars are the reasons why you don't see hardly any fatalities on NASCAR tracks anymore.
The cars are designed to fly apart to help absorb the impact and the walls around the sides of the track made with a hardened Styrofoam with regularly spaced gaps between the outer foam wall and the inner cement or concrete inner walls. The drivers are in reinforced safty cages and the seats now have side panels that extends forward to help protect the drivers head along with a strap that attaches to the back of the drivers seat and the back of the drivers helmet. The drivers are strapped in to the seat which helps keep them immobilized so they can't fly foward and hit the dashboard or windshield. Also what you saw on the track we see on the highways it's called rush hour.
I follow the old rule: If they keep moving, it's usually a good sign. If the stop is sudden, be very afraid.
ruptured duck I think you mean the HANS device, which straps the helmet to the device surrounding their neck.
The crash where you said “How can anyone survive that?” Look up Mike Harmon Johnny Sauter Bristol crash.
TheGlaceon Thomasfan no
And Michael Waltrip Bristol Crash.
@@crushcastles23 that was in this video
@@destroyerjtv7422 No, the full video. Not just the impact.
@@crushcastles23 ahh I see I'm about to do that I dont think I've seen the full vid
Luckily nobody has died since Dale in 2001 in the cup series
In fact injuries are much rarer than other sports
And Dale might have lived if he was wearing a HANS device. The current level of safety isn't and will never be perfect, but it is extremely good.
The worst crashes are the ones that don't look that bad.. the flips look bad but they allow the driver to not have to take the complete impact of the hit.. no doubt Dale would of still died even with a harness like today's. That's a million to 1 chances of hitting the wall like he did..
Dale Earnhardt The Intimidator forever missed never forgotten. I was 17 when that took place he will always be number 3 to me.
Yea the dale crash was the worst of the 2001 to 2019
Courtney, the last fatality in NASCAR racing was Dale Earnhardt Sr in 2001. Since then, safety has been greatly improved. From re-enforced roll cages to the seats the drivers seat to head and neck restraint systems, the governing body has made great strides in safety.
When you see the accidents where parts are flying, that is a good thing. It dissipates energy.
Earnhardt’s crash involved him hitting the wall head on and his seat belt failed due to improperly being applied.
If you come to America, a NASCAR event is a slice of Americana you don’t want to miss.
Sit in a parking lot and think of the whole group moving up to 200 mph and bump around. That's what it's like. The drivers are athletes in their own right with constant G forces and the concentration. Some drivers will literally loose 7-10 pounds in a race. The cockpit can be up to 130 degrees and a race can last 3-4 hours or more.
dammmmm!!!
Courtney Coulston yep. I never made it past dirt tracks, but even that gave me the utmost respect for this sport.
200mph in a fueled rocket over a ton within inches, sometimes actually touching each other at that speed.
Imagine having to play a chess game with 60 other players at the same time wile under the heat and the vibrations of driving a car at 180+ mph around the track, battling the wind and other cars debris for hours all wile monitoring communications and performing strategies from your pit crew and having to watch and anticipate every other cars move 3-5moves BEFORE they make them and not breaking concentration for a split second.
Not a sport for the weak of heart and mind.
Not just the drivers are athletes but the whole team is, the pit crew has just about the same amount of g-forces going through their body every pit stop as the driver has going around the track. This crew has to replace all four tires, fill it with fuel, and or make adjustments to both the front and the rear of the car in only 15 seconds.
@@destroyerjtv7422 um the pit crew have same amount of g-force? hows that work?
sooo how is the driver an athlete? im kinda lost there
3:09 I am so glad NASCAR (Sanctioning Body of the sport) took the wings off the cars and put the spoilers back on.
Yes, screw the COTs
I think we are all happy
To be fair I think they put em too far back...if they has been more centered on the decklid this may not of happened
Although we did see a lot more saves when the wings were on the cars due to the extra down force. Perhaps the wings could be redesigned so that they didn't produce upwards lift when traveling backwards in the future.
Don't think you'll be saying that after Newmans wreck
I'm only half way through the video and I think we have a new "Oh my God/Goodness" record.
Hahaha!!!
This would be an awesome drinking game!
@@TechniSean1 Not if you're the one playing unless you actually wanted to die...
One of the newer safety devices is the
“ SaferBarriers”. These are designed to absorb the impact.
The drivers are in a
“ roll cage”, and the seat is designed to keep the driver in and tight. They have big collars around their necks, and a lot of other safety equipment.
In the past, there were a lot of deaths. Now there haven’t been one for years.
📻🙂
the "big collars" are called HANS device, believe it stands for Head And Neck Strap? ..lemme google this.. *one googling later* nope it means Head and Neck Support. Civilian cars dont need these as they have airbags, racecars do not.
Halla95
Cool. I figured it stood for something.
📻🙂
@@jeffking291 no problem!
@@halla9538 it was invented around 2000-2001 along with kill switches and dumb switches after the deaths of 3 drivers in 2000( Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin jr, and Tony Roper, first two were killed at the same racetrack on the same turn during Testing/Qualifying only six month apart due to hung throttles. around the same time Nascar was trying to outlaw open face helmets (like Dale wore) it wasnt until after Sr death that the safer barriers (which some tracks already had) were put in at speedways. along with making the HANS device mandatory
these cars are literally traveling faster than it takes a jumbo airliner to take off a runway. the slightest mishap will mess up the aerodynamics and send it crashing.
Yup, unlike most other race series, NASCAR uses very little down force in comparison. These cars are on the edge of lifting off the ground in the first place.
before they added those side parts on the racing seat for the head they would legit snap there neck on impact bc of the whiplash you dont realize how fast there going until you see and hear them in real rife if you got to a nascar race bring earplugs ive been to an airshow on a military base with Fighter jets going supersonic and honestly nascar was just as loud
Dammmmn that's crazy to think about
There's a few quotes circulating in regards to Elliot at Talladega. They asked his son if he thought he could handle that car and he said no. Bill himself said that car was on the edge of out control. One of the fastest cars I've ever seen.
Cant have a race at Talladega without a wreck or 4.
At 2:36 he not only survived, he climbed out from what was left of the car and walked to the ambulance unaided. Which is nothing short of miraculous.
8:40 So hard to avoid getting into it... imagine going so fast that you suddenly stand on the brakes and slow down 100mph.... and you're still going 100mph.
right!!
They’re actually going 190+ mph
@@ghostliberty8393 Yup, even though they're eased example numbers chosen to be catchy, 100mph plus 100mph is indeed well over 190mph.
Nothing compares to seeing it in person. Im not even really a fan of Nascar, but seeing it in person is an experience never to be forgotten
Yes, these cars are basically built around a very strong roll cage structure inside the cabin area. And most of the rest of the car is meant to break away in big impacts.
When a driver gets into an accident, he just folds his arms close to his chest and goes for a ride. The only time they are rushed to get out of the car is if it's on fire.
Ahh ok I see, thanks for sharing your knowledge on it David!
Those barriers and catch fences are specifically engineered to flex and then snap back to sort of "bounce" the car off of them a little bit and redirect the impact energy while keeping the car generally on or near the racing surface. In a car accident, speed suddenly to zero is what causes most fatalities, by redirecting the car's impact rather than stopping it, it prevents the sudden stop, reducing the effect on the driver and increasing survivability.
NASCAR is like a chariot race with internal combustion engines.
To answer your question about who helps them during the crash. Every speedway has a crew of firefighters and paramedics who are specifically trained to deal with hi speed crashes. My local speedway has a crew of 10 firefighters and 4 paramedics during a race and I believe most big speedways has a airevac helicopter as well.
4:21 who else got a craving for M&Ms while watching this clip? They should've sponsored the video.
hahaha!
That was Ken Schrader’s car
It was Elliot Sadler in the 38 m&m car.
Tim Rich ahh I forgot about him
I was actually eating M&M's while watching this video
Hi Courtney as crazy as it sounds, the spinny/flippy accidents are much safer then they appear. Because when the car is doing all those flips, it is dissipating energy, it's the direct hits to walls that are the most dangerous.
That crash at 5:10 I was right there with you, OMG!
Me too! Hard to believe he survived that one.
@@OkieMikester Thats Geoff Bodine at Daytona. Walked out of the hospital the next day with just a broken wrist.
Your reaction to the cars driving so close to each other at the two minute mark is hilarious!
The positive is - most of the safety features on modern American-made cars cane from NASCAR.
Yeah watching these you would think they at least get pretty fucked up but look at the second crash, and Austin Dillon got out of his car just fine
I love this reaction. I come from a racing family and have seen these kinds of accidents for so many years that they seem just slightly worse than usual. Its wonderful to see a fresh point of view. I can suddenly see just how violent these accidents really are
3:12 That was Carl Edwards & Ryan Newman at Talladega. I was at that race, and several rows up on that very same turn. VERY scary, and thank God everyone walked away.
Daniel Meeker i was at the race too i was sitting in front of pit entry when i saw Edwards hit the fence I thought it was dale jr because he was in the nat guard car
@@brianbaird3 Should we tell her that television doesn't do NASCAR justice? She MUST go to an actual live race!!!! You can FEEL the power of these cars in your chest!
Daniel Meeker yes definitely
5:07 I was watching this one live when it happened. I thought for sure the driver definitely had died after that last massive impact. The camera's wouldn't even focus on the wreck afterwards because they were afraid to possibly show body parts, and they wouldn't play the replay again until after they knew that the driver had lived.
The Jeff Bodine crash at 5:06 was scary! I remember watching that one live, I know he was a gonner for sure!
He survived
As an American who watches NASCAR all the time I've become hardened by these crashes, I don't even react to them when I see them in person or on video. I'm just so used to it. Also the guy in the truck crash as 5:12 was taken to a nearby hospital in serious but stable condition but he survived. The sheer force of air when the truck hit the catch fence sent a few spectators in the stands flying a few feet off the ground.
7:42
This could have been worse than the 1955 Le Mans disaster.
The biggest reason the drivers can walk is because the cars are designed to rip apart in crashes. As you have seen, this throws that momentum away from the driver and brings the car to a halt in a safe manner. They do have reinforced cages and straps to hold the drivers in place and keep the car from caving in on top of them. This design is used in many other sports like F1, V8 Super, Super GT and the endurance racing series' like Le Mans.
you never saw a f1 race obviously
Yep I'm flying through the air right now this is not good.
Its not just the roll cages that make those cars so safe, but the many advancements in driver safety over the years that have added to their ability to go through these terrible wrecks with little to no injury.
The Head And Neck Support (or HANS for short) device was created after the last fatal crash in the NASCAR Cup series back in 2001 (Dale Earnhardt was killed when he broke his neck in a head on collision with the wall in turn 4 on the last lap of the Daytona 500) and was made mandatory for all drivers. This device not only presses against the drivers shoulders and helmet to not let their neck move much in case of an accident, but it is also attached to their seat. Their seats are also molded to fit the driver perfectly, keeping them in place as well as being more comfortable.They are also held into the seat with a multi point harness (I think its a 6 point). All of those and more combine to make the drivers body basically just not move in case of a wreck, making them able to withstand heavy impacts at high speed often with maybe the wind getting knocked out of them at the worst. And in case of fire, they all wear fire suits and track personnel can be to them in seconds with fire extinguishers.
The cars themselves are also full of features that make things like rollovers less likely, but not impossible. The roof flaps that come up when a car gets sideways deflect the air in such a way that makes it less likely to achieve lift.
And most tracks have also lined the walls with what is called a SAFER barrier. Essentially, it is a type of barrier that sits on the track side of the outer wall that absorbs energy from collisions by moving with the car for a certain amount of space, making hits to the wall not nearly as bad. Of course, they cant put this everywhere so injuries still happen with wall collisions, but they are drastically reduced. Usually, the worst kind of hit a driver might have is with a wall that doesnt have a SAFER barrier or with another car that might be much slower or stopped. Or if you're Jaun Pablo Montoya, a jet dryer... I know something broke on his car so it wasn't his fault, but that was just funny (no one got hurt, but the track was on fire for awhile).
With all that said, injuries still happen. They are far more rare than they used to be, but they still happen. Racing is inherently dangerous, no matter how safe they may make the cars and the tracks. But... It is a hell of a lot safer than it used to be. Nowadays, NASCAR is probably one of the safest of the major racing leagues due to their fully enclosed cockpit cars (compared to F1 or Indycar) and the tracks they race on being well suited for their cars.
I've been a NASCAR fan since I was little (early 2000s) so these wrecks dont really phase me, but seeing your reactions reminds me of just how crazy they can be... I saw Austin Dillon's trip into the catch fence at Daytona live on TV and that one scared me a bit.
9:51 of a girl going “Oh my gosh” *gasp*
Lmaooo for real
This sport is very popular in the USA because the cars somewhat resemble normal cars. It's not the fastest motorsport by any means, but because the cars are built to look like a normal car, there's some instances of "trading paint", riding on your bumper, and being bunched together to streamline airflow. They race 36 races a year with the most prestigious being at Daytona Beach, Florida just south east of Jacksonville. The Daytona 500.
The last fatal crash in a race was on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. Dale Earnhardt (5-time world champion) died on turn 4 protecting his teammates (Michael Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.).
There was a time when cars and tracks were not all that safe and it wasn't uncommon for racers to die in horrible crashes.
Thank you for reacting to this. As for "procedures? There's always ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, and air blowers on standby whenever any accident happens. Also, the race goes under caution and a pace car comes out to slow down the rest of the field until the track is cleared.
2:54 is the wreck that inspired the final crash in "Cars"
Chick Hicks is the Kyle Busch of the Piston Cup.
@@DeviltoGeorgia34 actually he was inspired. By Dale sr.
@@HomeBrewHistoryandLore That crash was two years after Cars was released. Rusty Wallace's flip from the next clip was the real inspiration from Cars.
theotherside i think he meant cars 3
@@bonkieyy He did? Well I didn't remember looking at his comment saying it was Cars 3.
I am a big Nascar fan, and seen all of these crashes. I’m not numb to these crashes, but it was so entertaining to watch you reaction. You realize just how bad these crashes really were.
React to professional Rodeo. Maybe bull riding.
Ted Currently if she did she’d have a heart attack (I’ve been to Anaheim since 2011 and went to the iron cowboy in 2018 (held in Los Angeles)
Courtney, if you get the chance look up Davey Allison's wreck at Pocono. He flipped eight times. He had a broken wrist, arm, color bone and severe facial swelling and he raced the next weekend. Very tough driver.
1:13 That was Austin Dillon who flipped over and into the fence. He walked away under his own power with only a few minor scratches
Which still blows my mind..
@@TheBlackMambaa248 yeah.. same goes for everyone who saw that i guarantee
2:55 Reminds me of "The King's" crash from the first Disney Cars movie, flip for flip
The king's flip was actually based off that flip.
Watch Top Fuel Drag racing, NHRA. 340 mph in 1000 feel in 3.3 seconds
oh wow sounds epic!! I'll write this down, thanks Mickey!
The engines are so powerful that they destroy themselves after one pass and the team has to rebuild the engine in between runs.
@@gokartsandcars9588 Are you sure its the engines? I know the clutch only survives one run, but I doubt they have time for the entire engine... I could be wrong, but that just doesnt sound right.
@@imapopo2924 NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car have to rebuild the engine after each run.
@@BIGBLOCK5022006 yeah they can rebuild the whole thing in less than 40 minutes
So glad she picked a non fatal compilation. It's amazing these people survived
8:43 there were 26 cars involved, and only 7-8 cars finished the race
Just remember that NASCAR is NOT about the wrecks. Though wrecks are a major part of racing, it's not the reason anyone should follow racing. Still, great video!
Go react to the Isle of Man motorcycle races there on motorcycles going like 200 mph most of the time I promise you even the on boards are so intense makes you want to put on a helmet watching the video
Courtney, great video. If I may make some additional NASCAR recommendations:
Nascars’s greatest Big Ones
NASCARs greatest finishes
NASCAR Fights
There have been many memorable moments in nascar’s 70 year history whether it’s crashes, finishes or rivalries. Some may find NASCAR boring because, for the most part, it is 40 cars going in circles for 3 hours.
but if you dedicate yourself to it like I have, you get to witness these remarkable moments that just make you go “WOW.” This is why I fell in love with this sport.
Question: Why would you watch cars driving in circles?
Answer: For the wrecks.
I mean some of us want to see who finishes the circle first
No not at all that's not an ok statement people would die inna wreck. Even with this many safety features. We watch it to see racing drives bumping and rubbing, Pushing eachother 200mph down the Daytona straight or the craziness of the brickyard.
I think the best Nascar vids I've seen were saves, they show incredible skill staying on the track or out of the wall.
Could you react to my Best and worst nascar crashes of the decade(2010-2019) please?
i'll write it down, thank you :)
@@CourtneyCoulston awesome!!! Thank you so much! I'm so excited!
I was attending a few of these, mostly at Talladega. When the #99 car, Carl Edward's hit the catch fence... It hit slightly to my left, and the carburetor went through the fence... Hit a lady in the jaw, sitting next to me. It fractured her jaw. I had boiling hot fluids, some sheet metal hit me in the face. I refused treatment, and drove home. Kudos on the videos!
The last death in the sport (Dale Earnhardt) didn’t look nearly as bad as these crashes. It’s crazy smh.
Nick J the scariest thing about Dale's death imo isn't so much it happened but what he said after the wreck on lap 173
"Richard, if they don't do something to these cars, it's going to get someone killed."
@@liamgriffin218
Damn rip
The crash at 5:08 (2000 Daytona 250) was the worst of Geoff Bodine's career. Bodine was in the truck that got launched into the catch fence. He only missed 10 races recovering from this crash, and retired 12 years later.
2:28
Surprisingly, he survived. The driver that hit him barely missed the cockpit
They should have fixed the track the first time. That's Bristol... it didn't used to have a tunnel to the infield, there was an extremely heavy steel gate in the outer wall for access.
Apparently, this gate was able to be closed but not quite properly latched. Mike Harmon here, in 2002, hit the gate and it opened, and the end of the wall ripped his car apart. The unbelievable part is that this happened in 1990 to Michael Waltrip, this is the second time! NASCAR then said "no sir!" and an infield tunnel was put in that year and the gate done away with.
Neither Harmon or Waltrip were seriously injured, even though their cars essentially disintegrated around them. Waltrip actually had his feet on the track when his car stopped... why? Because everything tore *away* from the drivers, nobody directly hit them, and the action of coming apart used up all the energy in the system. And Bristol's a short track, the impact wasn't as fast as other tracks.
Imagine her reaction if she saw the other angle of that one.
@@michaeldougherty2807 Yeah, probably would be one of absolute terror
@@mfree80286 I knew about the Waltrip accident, I never knew it happened another time.
@@derekthornberry565 Yup, the one in the vid is Harmon, the second one... exact same spot 12 years afterwards, nearly the exact same results.
Hi courtney hope u enjoyed a bit of our sport. Biggest problem is when the cars spin backwards..the air cannot escape due to the front air dam (the part that is almost touching the ground) so it packs underneath and tries to lift the car. Theoretically the roof flaps prevent this and sets the car back down, but not always as uve seen...the crashes that happen are essentially physics on a massive scale.
5:11 you can just see a cameraman gets blasted by the fire. Yeesh
The crash of Dan Wheldon was a brutal crash because he was awake and alert when the paramedics got him out. The same day the same race was canceled and the racers held a lap around the track in his honor.
The problem with these videos is that they make a stereotype of the sport. People watch these and think that the sport is only turning left and wrecking which isn’t the case there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes.
Ths sport has done so well with making the cars so safe. They added fireproof suits, a HANS device that keeps your head from moving as much, improved catchfences for airborne wrecks, roof flaps, safer barrier on wall to absorb impact, more bars in the roll cage, etc
Crashing at 200 mph....sometime people die despite the roll bars and safety precautions...
It's been 19 years.
Yeah i'm actually really impressed there hasn't been death since '01 considering the speeds that these cars go.
@@CourtneyCoulston If you want to follow up, here are some videos...
ua-cam.com/video/HYeuSTunJQE/v-deo.html is short but has good views inside a car and shows some of the safety functions
ua-cam.com/video/-eHrV_x0_lo/v-deo.html is a little out of date but is a great historical reference to when and what was changed. Fair warning that there are some fatal accidents in this video but no 'gore'.
ua-cam.com/video/ALHW4zqKB6E/v-deo.html is again a little outdated, it's last gen, but FANTASTIC info and you've seen this accident already, but get to see the driver's just fine :)
Hi Courtney, I've seen a few of your videos but was impressed to see you cover this one. I know you're from New Zealand but semi local to you, Australia gave us Marco Ambrose who raced in NASCAR's Cup series (the highest tier) for about eight years. Anyway, thought you'd want to hear from someone who's raced and been in similar crashes. I've raced in Street Stock, Late Models and Sprint cars (sprints are the ones with the big wings on the top). All classes I raced in were on dirt ovals here in the states. I did race road courses and ovals in go-karts (not the kind you can get in at amusement park, lol). Imagine go karts an inch and half off the ground that have the capability of doing 70+ mph. On a road course you don't mad out that speed by any means but the acceleration and being that close to the ground is intense. I've flipped one of those too but you are just thrown from it like if you were racing motorcycles. As for the larger cars, specifically the late models which are a full body stock car, it can almost seem like slow motion and you never know when it will end. There is almost a call when youre airborne. It may be a split second but it feels longer. It's when you get hit again or hit the wall that your adrenaline kicks in again. You want to naturally hold on but when the car is barrel rolling, you almost can't it wants to throw your arms out to your sides. It's part of the reason so many safety features are in current, modern day racecars.
I have the video paused so I don't know if it will show it in this one but look up RYAN NEWMAN 2020 DAYTONA 500. I actually have it on my channel now that I think about it. I have a business channel and a personal one, I posted that on the channel linked to this profile.
I'm seeing ppl saying plz do Kobe. I'm asking you plz don't do Kobe. Ppl are seeming to forget there was other ppl on that helicopter.
The crash at 2:56 is what inspired the “king” crash near the end of Disney cartoon Cars.
Can u react to Kobe Bryant highlights rip mamba
The only best NASCAR crash...
"I am Juan Pablo Montoya. I ran into a jet dryer. Prepare to fry."
Can u react to Conor McGregor funniest moments?
Hi Zion! i'll write that down. Thank you!! :)
Courtney Coulston thanks Courtney and maybe after that u could react to "Zion Williamson" he's the next big superstar in the NBA and he's the thiccest NBA player
There needs to be a Courtney Coulston gasp compilation
react to kobe 81 point game
r.i.p.
1:12 - That was the crash of Austin Dillon. He ended up going airborne, flew into the catch fence and (what as left of) his car landed back on the track upside-down only to be hit by another car. AND HE WALKED AWAY! The crowd roared when he got out and waved to them to show he was ok. The safety features of these cars are incredible.
react to Kobe
The crash at 2:10 involving the flipping car of Ken Schrader, one of my all time favorite drivers, has a spectacular view from a car driven by Jeremy Mayfield. He was behind all this and suddenly the #25 flies through the air. You should be able to find it. Talladega Superspeedway where most of these crashes occurred is an insane track!
Courtney, the drivers have a signal to the NASCAR Safety Crew, the people who respond to the wrecks, is that if they are OK, they take down their window net. If they are not OK, as in the cases of the Late, Great Dale Earnhardt, the window net stays up due to the driver being knocked out or unable to release it due to an broken arm, etc.
If you can ever get to Florida to experience a race at Daytona (non-Covid year lol), it is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have. If you make a trip out here, its amazing. Lots of good food, and you have lots of options (infield, pit pass, and grandstand). Orlando (Disney/Universal) and Brevard County (Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, etc.) are but an hour away. Just the sounds and the atmosphere is amazing. If you are interested in military history too, St. Augustine (oldest American City) is 45 minutes north. Patrick SFB (formerly Banana River Naval Station and Patrick Air Force Base) is near Cocoa.
The Elliot Sadler wreck at 5:30 is hard to get the picture of because the camera didn't capture most of it because Kurt Busch's wreck was more flashy. But that's easily one of the hardest hits I've seen. he went head first into the corner of the metal gate and dirt at full speed, no SAFER barrier.
I was at a dirt track race in Lake City, FL about 15 years ago where a car didn't make the turn and went straight up the banked turn and launched up and came down through the powerlines to the track. The driver lived, but never raced again.
Just saying but if you haven’t already, look up Ryan Newman Daytona 500 Crash 2020. He walk out of the hospital no less than 48 hours after it had happened. Truly a miracle of how safe this cars have become
There’s been major safety innovations over the last 20 years since sr’s wreck. As far as who helps then there are multiple saftey crews at every track and an in field care center.
As far as “if one person f’s up everyone pays,” yes and there is serious driver etiquette about driving in traffic. Especially with restrictor plate races. Every driver at the three highest levels has a spotter constantly telling them where other drivers are. Its a ballet at 200mph
the crash that happened at 2:24 happened in Bristol, Tennessee during practice runs....the driver not only survived, but he unfastened his harness and stood up where he was sitting before the medical team came to take him to the infield care center for a checkup
My parents were friends with Bobby and Donnie Allison and their wives and we kids grew up with Davey and Clifford. Bobby's crash at Talladega was the one that led to restrictor plates and was, at that time, one of the scariest in NASCAR. Now, it looks almost tame by comparison to some of them. Surprised you didn't have Davey's crash at Pocono.
You should also watch some of the dirt track sprint car races too that will get your heart pumping for sure, 1100lb car, 800hp motor, going 150mph on dirt and you can only see in front of you and some to your left, you have to feel where the front end of the car is because you can't see it ! It's FUN ! (Old dirt track driver here) :)
Courtney, Daytona and Talladega are notorious for having a type of wreck called "The Big One" because the cars all bunched up together since both of those tracks require restrictor plates.
The one with the trucks and the fire happened literally as my sister was being born and my step father and other family (and even some passing hospital staff) were so shocked by the wreck (because it was just what was playing on the tv in the room) they missed my sister being delivered 😂
The roll cage is everything. Earnhardt Jr. said they toss like a roller coaster, the main concern is that they let go of the wheel so their arms don't swing out of the window .
NASCAR drivers are the coolest cucumbers around. I saw a car get sideways in a turn, flip, do a complete 520 sideways, land on the roof and skid the entire back stretch and halfway through the turn before coming to a stop with the bottom of the car on fire. The driver climbed out, stood up, look at the fire for a moment, then calmly walked away towards the infield shaking his head.
I have watched my share of car races and have seen so many accidents, but these made my mouth drop. You have to be boss to say that flipping is not the hard part, it's the landing that hurts.
I was involved in a huge automobile accident which I ended up rolling my truck 7 times at 70 mph and eventually went airborne 25 feet in the air flying over the concrete divider on the highway and eventually landed in the fast lane of the other side of the highway! Ended up with a severely broken compound fractured leg in 5 places! 😳🤢🤮
And I cant even begin to try and explain just how EXTREMELY VIOLENT that crash was ! So seeing these crashes makes me have 100% pure respect for these Drivers/athletes !!!
It’s the big one, baby. @ 7:45, I had the opportunity to attend the race where Bobby Allison got into the fence. Would have been sitting close to the impact area.
The worst part was, that even if you see a car make what seemed like a glancing deflective blow, that could instantly shave a decent chunk of speed and kill the driver.
A scenario like that was what caused Dale Earnhardt's fatality. He received a Basilar Skull Fracture due to him not having a head restraint.
In a crash, your body is strapped to a seat, but if your head isn't, your head will literally want to fly off your torso, so the spine and spinal cord gradually stretch to the point that you receive a fracture on the base of your skull, literally because your spinal cord is trying to pull your brain out of it's skull.
Street vehicles have airbags to fulfill the need, but after Dale's death, NASCAR adopted the HANS device to be standard safety equipment.
Nascar, formula one, circuit, and all the other types of car racing are why safety has improved so much in the automotive industry. Engineers can look at the hi speed crashes on the racetrack and figure out how to make cars safer for them. The equipment that works will eventually be put on regular cars in one way or another.
2:26 - The car was sliced in half and struck by another car. The driver simply walked out of his car. This was almost identical to Michael Waltrip's crash in 1990 in the same part of the same track (look up "Michael Waltrip Bristol Crash"; he was also uninjured).
2:55 - This was Rusty Wallace's second serious flip that season and the crash that led to NASCAR putting roof flaps on the cars (because they generate lift when traveling backwards at high speeds, roof flaps pop up when the car starts going backwards and generate more downforce).
3:07 - Carl Edwards got out of his car and jogged across the finish line.
3:51 - Ricky Rudd suffered severe bruising during the crash (this was at the Busch Clash, an exhibition race held leading up to the Daytona 500) and he raced in the Daytona 500 with his eyes taped open so he could see. This led to NASCAR mandating that all drivers who crash out of a race have to be examined by the NASCAR medical team.
5:06 - Everyone thought Geoff Bodine was dead (he survived and continued racing for another 10+ years; he now designs and builds bobsleds). This is the worst non-fatal NASCAR crash I've ever seen.
7:37 - Bobby Allison's crash was the reason why NASCAR implemented restrictor plates for Daytona and Talladega (the fastest tracks in the world). Bill Elliott's qualifying speed for that race still stands as a stock car record (212.809 MPH average lap speed), and was only 3 MPH slower than Mario Andretti's Indy 500 pole speed from the same year. The cars became too fast to be safe. Bobby Allison blew a tire at the fastest part of the fastest track (IIRC, he was estimated to be going around 215 MPH at that moment) and flew into the catch fence; debris from his car still managed to injure spectators, and Allison thought he struck the flagman (whose stand is directly over the start/finish line; Allison did come very close to hitting him, though). The ambulance crew wouldn't let him look at the aftermath, so Allison assumed several people had been killed.
NASCAR is very quick to implement safety measures as the result of crashes. "Fireball" Roberts's death resulting from burns sustained in a crash in 1964 would speed the development of fireproof clothing (Roberts had serious asthma and didn't use fire retardant chemicals on his driving suit as it made it very difficult for him to breathe). Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 made NASCAR require drivers to wear full-face helmets (Dale wore an older-style open-face helmet) and the HANS device (meant to secure a driver's head and neck; Dale didn't think they were comfortable and felt that they impeded his ability to see the track).
NASCAR has gotten incredibly safe the last 20 years with safer barriers ( runs along the outside walls and most inside walls, it absorbs the impact of crashes), greatly designed roll cages, HANS device (Head and Neck Safety), seats that are custom to the driver’s body, etc.
The crash at around 2:25 used to be, maybe still is (?) considered the worst crash ever. It happened during qualifying. He hit a moveable section of the wall used to get vehicles into the infield. In doing so, he hit the butt end of the concrete shearing the car in two down the centerline completely exposing the driver. The other car hit right behind the driver and took off the left rear of the car. When it was all done, the driver unbuckled and stepped out to his right and stood up completely unscathed. The remains of the car are in the museum. The wreck at the 8:00 mark ended Bobby Allison's career. It was before restrictor plates were introduced to slow the top speed of the cars down on tracks considered to be 'super speedways'. The mention going 210 which was about the average on the straight stretches on super speedways in the mid 80's. After that, the restrictor plate ( a plate with undersized holes installed under the carburetor to slow the cars down ) is responsible for most of the huge multi car pile ups you see. They make the cars mostly equal, so they run bunched up. When one guy bobbles a little, it can start a chain reaction taking out a large portion of the field.
Fun Fact about Ryan Newman: He Had multiple cars on his car in his career, 5 to be exact… Carl Edwards 2009 Aarons 499, Kurt Busch 2013 Aarons 499, Dylan Lupton 2016 Federated Auto Parts 400, Jamie McMurray 2018 Geico 500 Practice and William Byron 2018 MC Masterpiece 400
+ He was on top of Cars twice (Daytona 2020 on top of Corey LaJoie and at Talladega in 2009)
Newman was the car that hit the flying Blue and Green 99 Car (which was Carl Edwards after he got turned and flipped by Keselowski)
Yes, the racecars are pretty well reinforced with roll caging in the cabin area. Still, when you take a hit in any way, you're still gonna feel it...unless you get knocked out.
If you are planning on attending to one or several, I recommend Talladega Superspeedway first. A good portion of these clips were from there. I always take a first timer there to get them hooked. Their next race is at the end of April.
@ 5:11 Bad NASCAR Collision With Fiery Huge Explosion
The wreck at 3:12 with Carl Edwards was wild. But the craziest part was Carl getting out of the car and running across the finish line.
Been loving your videos, never thought you'd add NASCAR. Didn't even occur to me even though my dad is a nut for this sport.
Looking forward to more. I'm no expert, but will say, there is a Hell of a lot more to this sport than crashes. Love to ya Courtney!
1:50 the cars are built with extensive safety features. The drivers are strapped into the seats I think with 5 point harnesses, similar to what military helicopter pilots wear (a design which was actually developed by a monster truck driver after he realized he had survived a crash by blind luck and needed a better harness than what he had)
The cabin of the car is surrounded by a rigid roll cage, and I believe the bodies of the cars are made of plastic instead of fiberglass, which is lighter, improving the car's fuel economy, but those lighter parts are also easier to pull free which tends to make the accidents look a bit more dramatic than they otherwise might.
In short though, although these cars might look on the outside like most other cars on the road, inside they're completely different and designed to compensate for this kind of stuff.