Crashes are always bound to happen in motorsports because the acting of racing at absurd speeds is inherently risky. Many horrific accidents have happened but each loss has contributed to improvements in safety measures, making the various sports progressively safer.
Nevertheless, here are 20 of the worst crashes in motorsports history.
20. 1960 Daytona Modified Sportsman Race
This race was one of the most chaotic in NASCAR’s history, as it ended in a 37-car pile-up. Luckily, there were no fatalities, but it became common practice to have stricter regulations on the number of entrants.
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19. 2011 Las Vegas Indy 300
Dan Wheldon tragically died in a massive 15-car pile-up during an IndyCar Championship race in 2011. This accident highlighted the dangers of high-speed oval racing and led to a safety review of the series.
18. 2002 Aaron’s 312
This 2002 Talladega NASCAR Busch Series race ended with a dramatic 27-car wreck, which made the authorities again focus on the danger of restrictor-plate racing and increasing safety on the track and avoid crashes.
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17. 1976 Nürburgring
During the 1976 German Grand Prix at Nürburgring, Niki Lauda had a crash in which his car hit the wall, burst into flames, and caused him to sustain first- and second-degree burns as well as irreparable damage to his lungs. Miraculously, Lauda survived, and he was back racing only six weeks later. His accident led to changes in fire safety.
16. 2001 German IndyCar
Alex Zanardi had a horrifying accident at the 2001 American Memorial 500, where he lost both his legs. Such a recovery and survival story still inspires many people.
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15. 2008 NHRA SuperNationals
The tragic death of Scott Kalitta at a drag racing event in 2008 vividly brought out the dangers of drag racing crashes. His car engine blew up and he crashed into a crane. There were quite a few changes made to the safety of NHRA events after that.
14. 1973 Dutch Grand Prix
The fatal crash of Roger Williamson and the tragic mishandling of the rescue attempt with the inability to put out the fire quickly became a dark spot in F1 history, proving the need for better fire safety and emergency measures.
13. 1982 Belgian Grand Prix
One of the most terrible accidents in Formula 1 happened in 1982 when Gilles Villeneuve died in qualifying at the Zolder circuit. He hit another car, went airborne, and was thrown out of his car. This led to the conception of major innovations in the design of cars, protective gear for drivers, and track preparation.
12. 1999 Marlboro 500
Greg Moore died during a crash at the 1999 Marlboro 500 in the last race of the 1999 CART World Series season, which affected the open-wheel racing community and led to the enhancement in CART racing safety and the adoption of the SAFER Barrier.
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11. 2011 Malaysian MotoGP
The terrible accident involving Marco Simoncelli led to his death when two riders hit him off the bike during the race. It started conversations about MotoGP safety standards.
10. 1982 Canadian Grand Prix
Riccardo Paletti died on the spot after crashing into Didier Pironi’s stalled car on the grid during the formation lap. That changed Formula 1’s starting procedures and safety procedures in future races.
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9. 1958 Cuban Grand Prix
The 1958 Cuban Grand Prix in Havana was tainted by tragedy and political conflict. Before the race, reigning World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped by Cuban rebels to draw attention to Fidel Castro’s cause. During the race, Cuban driver Armando Garcia Cifuentes lost control of his Ferrari and crashed off track, hitting a group of spectators, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people, and many others were critically injured.
8. 2001 Daytona 500
The fatal accident involving Dale Earnhardt in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 was one of the significant events that changed the course of NASCAR and other motorsports. It played a big part in bringing changes, among them the HANS device for the drivers.
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7. 1964 Indianapolis 500
A fiery accident happened in 1964 and claimed the lives of Eddie Sachs as well as Dave MacDonald. There were multiple cars involved and within no time, the race track was engulfed in fire. This led to the introduction of fuel safety cells in IndyCar.
6. 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
This was a fatal Grand Prix, as both Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died. Formula 1 had to change its safety standards subsequent to Senna’s race crash and Ratzenberger’s fatal accident during the qualification run.
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5. 1977 South African Grand Prix
Tom Pryce, while driving at high speed during the race, hit a track marshal who was running on the track to help another driver whose car caught fire. This horrific accident killed Pryce and the marshal on the spot and led to the formulation of new measures for the protection of marshals and track standards.
4. 1986 Portugal Rally
Joaquim Santos was driving the Ford RS200 when he lost control of it and hit a group of fans. The accident led to the deaths of three people, while 30 others sustained injuries from the accident. Not much later, in the same year, another fatal crash occurred during the Tour de Corse.
Henri Toivonen and his co-driver, Sergio Cresto, died in the accident when their car rolled over and caught fire. It culminated in the definitive banning of Group B rally cars.
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3. 1957 Mille Miglia
Driver Alfonso de Portago and co-driver Edmund Nelson died when the Ferrari they were driving flipped and crashed, killing nine spectators, including five children. The accident was so severe that it led to the permanent cancellation of the race.
2. 1961 Italian Grand Prix
At Monza, Wolfgang von Trips’ car crashed, killing 15 spectators and the driver himself, when, after colliding with Jim Clark’s car, his car went airborne into the crowd. This was one of the worst crashes in motorsports history.
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1. 1955 Le Mans Disaster
The worst tragedy in motorsport happened during the 1955 Le Mans race, which led to the deaths of 82 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh. His car crashed into another car and bits and pieces flew into the stands that had many fans in them. Some aspects of safety regulations were severely modified after this disaster and changes took place in many motorsports.
