You would think after the 1955 LeMans disaster, all racing circuits would have done more to keep debris away from fans. A car went into the stands and killed 83 people that day.

Having driven my own car on the track at Talladega, and having done the NASCAR experience at Daytona, I can tell you one difference that could make Daytona more dangerous is that the track is noticeably narrower.

My dad was in the stands about 35-40 rows up behind the Allison wreck. He said it seemed like everything was in slow motion. His right rear tire was cut and blew out. The engine did not blow up.

“It’s safer to be spread out at 210 than bunched up at 190.”-Geoff Bodine protesting restrictor plates.

I was sitting in the section affected by the 87 crash during the 88 spring race. I remember feeling very surreal and somewhat weird. I also remember the talks of bad luck and haunted burial grounds under the track. I wrecked my beautiful van leaving the race once and broke down in our new GT Mustang the next race. When Davey died in the helicopter accident I decided not to return there. Something about that place gives me the creeps.

I think the crash at Indy, where the fan was killed in the stands also sent chills down the spines of the Daytona Brass. they saw their lives pass before their eyes that day. Lawyers are the ones who ultimately control nascar

I was there. My group was sitting just past the start finish line high up enough to see the whole track. It wasn't my first time at Talladega. Back then you could go down to the fence and watch as the cars came at you all the way from the fourth turn. You could see the suspension working as the aero effects pushed the front end down and the cars set up for the first turn. It was spectacular.

I was watching this race when bobby hit the fence NASCAR insurance said they had to slow the cars but back then the faster they went the more ticket sales went up. great video

The difference is that back in the day, they pushed their cars to the limits and found them. Today, they push their cars to the limits of the rules.

I was at Talladega that day and I can still remember this happening

This crash was absolutely crazy, a few centimeters and nascar would be fundamentally different or gone at all

I was there that day. Seated just past the finish line about 20 rows away from track. We left and watched the finish of the race on TV. I have been around racing all my life and this was a scary moment. I have never been back to a super speedway. I know it is safer now but my recliner and 70" TV work just fine for me. I still miss the rush when they start their engines! I hope I don't live too see it replaced with EV racing. Nascar fan for life.

Howzabout a shoutout to the engineers who design and build those fences!

Back in the mid 80s the best place to be at a rock concert was the first few rows, and the best place to be at a nascar race was the last few rows. Those were the days!

The 212 is average speed not top speed. On the straightaway it was closer to 220mph to 230mph. They slow down in the turns so the speed increased on the straightaway.

Every motorsport seems to have this pattern...Cars get faster, a huge accident happens (that usually takes out some fans), and then safety comes in to throttle it down. WRC, F1, Indy...All have similar stories, this just happens to be NASCAR's.

I remember that day. I was watching the race and it was scary. And I'm more of a sports car racing fan. You should see it when it was back then. Because they were going down the Mulsane straight at 240 mph in the rain. And the guy says no we got to slow them down. That's why you see the chicane there. And that's why you see the flaps in the cars after Bobby's crash

Great delivery. Always liked racing. Met Gordon 24 three times when I was growing up but never understood the dynamics

This crash was definitely a game changer. I’m just glad no one died- it would have destroyed the sport. While restrictor plates may not be something I’m a huge fan of as it has led to some really violent pileups- it has certainly helped to keep the cars from going an unsafe speed.

The problem is that the cars are so aerodynamic they are basically upside down wings to create downforce. when the car gets going backwards it gets lifted in the air. That is why cars today have those pop up panels on the roof to push the car back down on the track.

I️ haven’t watched NASCAR in decades at this point. I’m surprised to find out the pole speed in the 22 Daytona 500 was 180mph. That just cements the fact it might be decades more that I️ won’t watch it.

Allison had an engine failure which then had pieces of the engine shredded the tire which caused him to fly in the fence. 212 MPH was the highest speed for the cup car which was a sleek matching aerodynamic from the T-Bird, Monto Carlo Aerocoupe, Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2, Buick LeSabre and Olds Delta 88. If Allison's car went into the crowd that would be the end of Nascar as we know it.

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville!

It’s horrifying to think what could have happened had his left front fender not hit the wall. I think those who say it could have been the end of NASCAR are probably right.

Me, my dad, grandfather and brother were at that race. Just past the starting line about 15 rows up. Had some bolts hit my dad and we kept them.

What changed nascar was the greed, and forgetting their roots.

I was there. OV Hill South. Top row. The tire blew just beyond our seats. The scary thing is Allison’s car slid another 1,000 feet once it landed. I believe the track had just added additional cables on the catch fence.

Also worth pointing out the irst race with plates, the 1988 Daytona 500, had Petty's monster crash where he did, yes, get into the catch fencing while doing ballet on the car's nose in a crash that was every bit as horrific as Allison's one the prior spring

I was watching that race at home that day. Awesome Bill from Dawesonville was killing it. Those were the good old days of NASCAR

Awesome Bill From Dawsonville Was my favorite. Bill vs Dale Was my favourite rivalry Best I've seen.

Thank you , as a West Australian this is a very informative insight into the changes that occurred. 😊

My brother and I were at the race with seats down towards turn four. We sat through the red flag, we missed seeing Bobbie’s car going airborne, couldn’t see the damage to the fence, it was years later until I saw the replay for the first time.

It went from exciting racing to watching grass grow.

honestly, everytime i see this crash i think about the strength of those catchfences man.

I remember watching those crashes from back in the day and todays don’t even come close. Thank goodness!

Crazy how back then we could just about walk all the way around the track right against the fence, while cars were on the track at speed. Actually bummed me out a bit when Charlotte seating was bumped up rows away from the fence. But I knew it was for safety. Watched a few nasties there.

I remember watching it live on TV, after the crash they cut immediately to commercial and came back only showing Bobby's car and him getting out. I know they said some fans were injured but that was it, as I recall.

Those were some fast T-birds. 😎

There is NOWAY you can argue that pack racing is safer, there are 10x more crashes when the cars are packed together. The 5 crashes in a row we commonly see today never happened in the 80s due to the more speed out field. The safest speed is what the drivers feel the cars can safely stay on the road. Safety for fans and the drivers can be handled with static defenses along the rail and spectators areas. You can't compare deaths from that point in time to today bc safety features have been extremely enhanced outside of speed reduction. But then again nascar doesn't even use production car models anymore so it's more of a cart style racing now then anything else.

Honestly, the danger was what drew a lot of fans to Nascar. The new format and reduced speeds have taken an obvious toll on the fan base.

I love how NASCAR thought cars going “too fast” was dangerous, so they added plates. Nowadays, plate racing is more dangerous. In my opinion, what they should’ve done was add roof flaps after the accident (instead of waiting till 1994) and not add plates.

I remember that race, and when I saw the title of this video I knew which wreck they were going to talk about. Back then these kind of wrecks were not uncommon

NASCAR was worried about safety, but they also realized that without restricting speeds, the superspeedway races could become boring. Even diehard Bill Elliott fans weren't going to sit and watch him run half a lap ahead of everyone else for 200 laps. You can't sell cheap beer to fans that are asleep.

I was watching the race live. It took them forever to fix the fence.

The sport was changed by the Car of Tomorrow probably more than by the restrictor plates. The old NASCAR was essentially reinforced street cars where each team had input on how were they built, the new ones are standard welded tube frames designed for specific impact loads. 180 mph is more than enough to kill driver and spectators if a 3,200 lbs. car jumps a fence.

I was at Talladega when Tiny Lund died in a crash in turn 2. It was an eye opening experience for an impressionable young teen as to how dangerous the sport really was. Plate under the carb lead to very boring races.

Rusty Wallace actually tested an unrestricted cup car in 2015 and he hit speeds of 230 mph at daytona. He said that "the speed was exhilarating, but there's no way these cars can be safe racing at those speeds, not even at talledega".

Well, as for me, I not one of those people that says "NASCAR today is 10× better today then it was then!" or "I want NASCAR to be like it was when I was watching it in the 80s that was when NASCAR was real!" I am a true fan of NASCAR where I value,like and appreciate NASCAR of the past as well as today's. The guys that drove back then paved the way for all current drivers. If you truly Love something, you will love ALL aspects of it, bad, good or indifferent.

So Bobby has one of the worst wrecks of all time and wants to leave the track and his wife says no, we’re gonna finish watching this race and cheer on Davey. The drivers weren’t the only ones with nerves of steel.

As a viewer, honestly the best package I've witnessed was the 2000 thru 2001 package, while yes we lost dale in the 2001 500, the was some of the best racing I had seen in forever, just look as dales final win at Talladega! That racing was amazing!

I was there in the Anniston grandstand and witnessed this. The covered O.V. Hill was next to our seats. Birds gathered under the roof to get out of the heat. When this happened, it got so quiet, you could hear the birds chirping. There was not a sound from the crowd. This moment is permanently etched in my mind.

Building better fences and pushing the fans back would be better. Make the cars faster

Remember what Earnhardt said. He hated plate racing. Even tho he was good at it. He said move the damn stand backs and let the boys race. Wonder if he really felt that way.

I was at that Talladega Race back in 1987. It was amazing to see those cars running so fast. It took them several hours to repair the fence and finish the race. We went back to our Camp and waited for the race to be finished. I loved watching Davey Allison Race. This was the beginning of the ruination of Nascar. It would never be the same after that day and it led to the Rasslin Races they have today.

I used to not miss a race at Talladega. Back when there was a July race the infield was a frying pan. I remember a car going over the wall and off the track between 1 and 2. They brought it back in right past our motorhome near the turn 2 tunnel. Cars were still getting airborne when they were spun aroung backwards. Then came the roof flaps.

Indy Car/Formula One has had some horrific wrecks going into the stands. Le Mans, and the wreck at Indianapolis in the 50's are probably the most famous. Yet, they continue to race.

I was there n the 4 th turn. I was 11. It was of the hottest 3-5 of waiting and sweating EVER. I feel sorry for the fans that were injured. I think that was the race someone stole the pace car. Someone do a video on that.

That fan that lost an eye in that wreck wears it as a badge of honor to this day. The fear of anyone at all being injured, even a scrape or scratch has led to the downfall of a once great sport. I expect slot cars will replace actual racing by 2025.

My grandfather was at that race and sitting in the front row,lost his left eye and a lug nut from the car went in his stomach like a bullet,I still have the lug nut in a display, But that was a horrible crash for the time,they figured out how to make more speed but left the safety out

Bill Elliott is my wife’s grandmother 1st cousin. Seeing him in 1987 you can definitely see the relationship. Also nascar died with Earnhardt.

Not a huge NASCAR fan but I believe the flaps on top of the cars to keep them from becoming airborne have played a big role as well in terms of driver and fan safety.

Good video and info!! It's good that the fans seem to get better protection today. I haven't watched this sport in decades, but this video brought back some memories.

2 things. 1. NASCAR didn't need a major accident to destroy itself; their leadership did that on its own by purposely alienating and running off their core fanbase. 2. Has anyone considered the idea that Austin Dillon's crash could've been a Russell Phillips or Dan Wheldon type scenario had the car only rolled over halfway instead of a full rollover? If this doesn't happen, the roof of the car would've gone into the catchfence instead of the undercarriage of the car and would most likely have sheared the roof and top roll-cage off the car and either bludgeoned Dillon to death or possibly decapitated and dismembered him?

In my mind Richard Petty's crash was the most spectacular and dangerous thing I ever saw down the front straightaway

Dang Billy Bob , dat dare car done jump da fence, and coming straight at us,,,,, hold my beer :)

Kinda curious how fast these Next Gen cars could run unrestricted at the big tracks. I heard back in early 2000s they experimented with fuel injection instead of carburetor and the car supposedly clocked about 230+ and they decided that it was dangerous and stayed carburetor

1987. I was there! We sat in the Moss Thornton section which is just past the start/finish line. When the car went into the fence, everyone ducked (like that would help). Small pieces of debris and tire showered us. Seems like it took around 3 hours to repair the fence before the race resumed. Never seen a more inebriated crowd. If you still had beer, it was going for $10.00 a pop. Around the 5:20 mark when you see the EMT's and stretcher, you can see me in the crowd. I'm the one with the hat on. (just kidding but true story)

A very well-done video! Thank-You!

I was at this race and seen the accident from start to finish. NASCAR had just installed a new grandstand fence for the race. If they had the old fence , he probably would have came through. My fathers fried Gene Richards, an ARCA driver, lost his life in a crash at Talladega in July of 1982.

What I remember about the crash was the engine blew up so bat the crankshaft came out and Darrel Waltrip hit it with the windshield.

I'm sure all the NASCAR management were having visions of Mercedes Benz at LeMans back in the 50's ...... that would have killed NASCAR for sure.

Not gonna lie, pack racing is much more entertaining than the strung out races. More action. Cooler passes and strategies.

This was a well put together video. Thank YOu.

It's crazy how close he came to the flag stand.

I’d say the number 1 crash to me that changed history in nascar is Dale sr. Nobody has died since that day on the track. They’ve had some serious injuries like park and nadue. But in my mind that crash that day at Daytona has saved a lot of lives.

we were in the infield that day , made for a long day because even tho' we needed to leave , no one in the infield was allowed to go for some reason .

As a kid I watched that race live on TV... I remember it very well.

Get a bigger fence, or move the seats, SHOULDN'T have changed the speeds imo

Imagine watching someone driving in circles lol😂

We live in an age where all the more is televised with less direct attendance. There's a lot of info as to where these impacts tend to happen, and plexiglass and other plastics could be put behind these fences for a 1,2, punch in protection. At this point and all the further safety precautions, and the fact that if one wanted for all the higher speeds, the stands can be all the further away from the track, that a variety of race class types, similar to bikes, should be introduced to NASCAR. We know people take their chances, and they should have those choices as drivers to weather they want to race those higher speeds or not. Currently myself I've found more entertainment in the Super Trucks racing that's been up and coming that send them ramping into the sky and have a rather low injury rate to this day. Granted they don't go quite as fast, but it shows that a lot has been learned. No one wants to see someone hurt, but crashes are going to happen, and there are some who want to go on out there. It's a grown, adult, driver's choice. We can either give them place to do it on the track with as many safety options in place while still offering them the option to take a machine as fast as possible, or we can wind up losing more simply to street racing and other un sanctioned venues. That's the real choice that remains. Give that choice supervised to take those limits up, or lose more to where it can't always be seen, and less help and safety can be offered. It's not that different than prohibition, folks. And that's what got NASCAR started in the first place when you think about it. Restrict sanctioned speed too much, people will only be looking for the next thrill ride born out of restrictions of what they know.

Very, very well done. Thank you.

Oh I remember everything changed because of the crash that involved Cole Trickle and Rowdy Burns.

180mph pole speed is kinda sad, really.

Good video, two thumbs up. Maybe the grandstands should be even higher from the track. Love those 80s races.

I was there when this happened, car #22, lap 22, & if you notice Harold Kinder(flagman) never stopped waving the yellow flag, as Bobby's 3400 lb race car was coming straight at him !!!

Some of the best races I ever saw the cars weren't running but around 150mph. Competition makes good racing, not super speed nor horsepower. If everybody is running around 500hp,then it's good racing. A close finish is what people talk about at the water cooler on Monday.

I agree Bobby's wreck was catastrophic but, Dale Earnhardt's deadly crash changed safety more than any other NASCAR event. We have SAFR barriers, Hahn's devices, improved custom seats, helmets, etc. 21 years later and Dale is the last NASCAR fatality. Le Mans and F1 cars also run well past 200mph with no restrictor plates although they limit speeds with their aero rules. I would like to see NASCAR run without restrictor plates, frankly...

Very interesting video! You ask yourself the question: what would have happened if the car had hit the gate without hitting the wall first? The answer may be found in the disaster of the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Le Mans in 1955: 84 dead, 120 injured The enormity of these figures cannot hide the extent of the disaster!

I'm not a Nascar fan, but this was really entertaining...

I've seen the video of the car going into the crowd at Le Mans thank God that didn't happen at Talladega

Saying Bobby was uninjured isn't exactly true. He drove a late model for us 2-3 weeks later and he was still in pain from the wreck. Slightly injured would be more accurate.

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville turned a lap at Talladega, 212.809. I believe his brother was his engine builder.

We went to see cousin Bill a lot back then. I remember seeing some major accidents at Daytona.

Nascar is the racing equivalent of WWE wrestling. It’s a show that is well choreographed.

Nicely put together!

When I lived in Alaska I watched every Nascar race in the latter 1980's. I can't watch Nascar anymore, I liked it better back then. Without the daredevil aspect of the original sport, watching Daytona or Talladega now is like watching a car parade.

Yet there are old fans that hate present day Superspeedway racing at Daytona and Talladega even though a driver almost died in 1987.

I'm so glad NASCAR made alot of changes to those cars going way too fast at either Talladega or Daytona. I rather have safety first whether the fans like it or not, if any fan doesn't like all that, they don't need to watch anymore.

Put the stands on the inside of the race track, move pit road to the back stretch, the simple energy and inertia will pull the cars away from the fans. An wall a we can have super speedways again.

The risk to the driver's life is what makes the sport so interesting to watch because there is always that element of you don't know what's going to happen. The safer they make it the less people care about it!!