Horrifying NASCAR crashes

Spectacular crashes and twisted wrecks are as integral to NASCAR as the race cars that spark them; but as thrilling as they can be, they're equally dangerous... sometimes, even fatal.

British IndyCar racer Justin Wilson sustained a fatal head injury during the Pocono IndyCar 500 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, August 23, 2015. The deadly accident ensued when fellow driver Sage Karam spun into the wall and a large piece of debris from the crash flew onto the track, striking Wilson directly in the head.

Justin Wilson - Pocono - 2015

After being struck in the head by airborne debris, Wilson's car veered to the left and collided with an interior wall. He was quickly swarmed by a safety crew and taken away by helicopter.

Later at the hospital, acclaimed sports car racer Justin Wilson fell into a coma and ultimately succumbed to his injuries on August 25, 2015. He was 37.

Justin Wilson - Pocono - 2015

Ironically, after Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon was killed in an airborne crash in 2011, Wilson became one of three drivers to serve as a liaison between competitors and IndyCar. He even commented at the time that Wheldon's death did nothing to change his perspective or make him question his career choice.

"You've got to know the risks and work out if those risks are acceptable," Wilson told The Associated Press in 2012. "To me, it's acceptable. But I'm not going to stop trying to improve it. All the drivers, this IndyCar, we're always trying to make it safer, but at the end of the day, it's a race car. We're racing hard, we're racing IndyCars and it's fast. When it goes wrong, it can get messy."

Austin Dillon - Daytona - 2015

On July 6, 2015, Austin Dillon's #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet sailed upside down into the fence, then shot back down onto the track, during the last lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

To the surprise and relief of fans, crew members and drivers alike, Dillon walked away from the wreck relatively unscathed with only a bruised arm and tailbone.

Austin Dillon - Daytona - 2015

Austin Dillon's car was already badly mangled and lying on its roof when it was hit hard by Brad Keselowski, July 6, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who watched the accident in his rearview mirror, seemed stunned and speechless as he crossed the finish line, winning the race.

"You are just on the verge of tears," Earnhardt commented later on. "I just was very scared for whoever that car was. I didn't care about anything except figuring out who was okay."

Austin Dillon - Daytona - 2015

The car tore down a section of the speedway's catch fence and rocketed debris into the grandstands, injuring over a dozen fans, as crew members from several teams raced onto the track to check on Dillon.

Jimmie Johnson, who finished the race second to teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., said Dillon's wreck was one of the worst he's ever seen.

"I'm shocked that Austin Dillon is even alive," said Johnson. "I expected the worst when I came back around."

Talladega - 2014

On May 4, 2014, Joey Logano (22), Kurt Busch (41), David Ragan (34), and Michael McDowell (95) collided during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499, giving way to a fiery crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

Luckily, all of the drivers involved in the race walked away with their lives.

Denny Hamlin, who ultimately won the race, was awarded his victory after a caution flag flew, ending the race early. He won by hanging back and thus, not getting caught up in the series of multi-car crashes occurring in the middle of the pack.

Clinton Bowyer - Daytona - 2014

On February 20, 2014, Daytona 500 defending champ Jimmie Johnston ran out of gas heading for the finish line in the Dayton 500 qualifying race. He was consequently bumped from behind and a multi-car crash ensued.

Martin Truex Jr.'s car exploded into flames. Numerous others were dented or pushed into the wall. The most stunning effect of the collision, however, occurred when Clint Bowyer's #15 5-hour Energy Toyota did a full 360-degree flip, thrilling fans as it landed on its wheels once again.

Daytona - 2014

Then, in the actual Daytona 500 that year, Ryan Newman (31), Brian Scott (33), Cole Whitt (26), Justin Allgaier (51), Terry Labonte (32) and Parker Kligerman (30) wrecked in a shocking multi-car crash, February 23, 2014.

All of the drivers walked away relatively unscathed. The same cannot be said of their state-of-the-art cars.

Kyle Larson - Daytona - 2013

The last time NASCAR fans watched a car careen into the catch fence, sending dangerous debris into the stands, was when Kyle Larson crashed at the Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2013.

During a bit of maneuvering in the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300, Larson sent large chunks of his #32 Clorox Chevrolet -- including a tire -- flying into the stands, injuring 30 fans and illustrating what can happen when a car going nearly 200 mph is suddenly launched toward the spectator areas.

Jason White - Daytona - 2013

On July 5, 2013, NASCAR driver Jason White collided with fellow driver Travis Pastrana, during the Nationwide Series Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Their collision sparked a six-car crash in turn 4. Pastrana, White, Cole Whitt, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jamie Dick and Robert Richardson Jr. were all involved and, luckily, all walked away from the crash.

Jason White, however, lay on the grass for several minutes after climbing out of his car, telling emergency medical personnel that the collision knocked the wind out of him. He was later checked out and cleared at the infield care center.

Jason White - Daytona - 2013

Here, sparks and debris fly off Jason White's #24 JW Demolition Toyota, after its involvement in a crash at the Daytona International Speedway, July 5, 2013.

Daytona - 2013

On July 6, 2013, NASCAR drivers AJ Allmendinger and Denny Hamlin collided during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin was actually involved in two wrecks that day. This one claimed six cars and stalled the race for nearly nine minutes, as crews worked to remove his car and debris from the track.

Hamlin, who had just broken his back a few months before, limped gingerly to a nearby ambulance without answering reporters' questions.

Kyle Busch - Daytona - 2012

On February 18, 2012, Kyle Busch crashed his #18 M&M's Brown Toyota, during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

Busch walked away from this crash, but fractured both his right leg and left foot in February of 2015, when he slammed nose-first into a concrete wall during the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. As a result, Busch had to undergo multiple surgeries and miss the first 11 Sprint Cup points races of the season. He returned to racing again in May of that year.

Carlos Pardo - Mexico - 2009

Mexican NASCAR driver Carlos Pardo was killed, June 14, 2009, when his race car crashed in the Mexico Corona Series' 100-lap race.

Here, firemen work on his car at the scene of the crash in Amozoc, Puebla state, Mexico.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Le Mans -2004

NASCAR drivers don't just crash in official races. The practices for those races can prove extremely dangerous as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., for example, crashed his car into a barrier during practice for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, July 18, 2004. Emergency crews had to rush onto the track to extinguish the flames.

Medical officials at Infineon Raceway described the injuries as "moderate-sized burns of moderate intensity." And Earnhardt was flown to the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for treatment.

Randy Newman - Daytona - 2003

On February 16, 2003, NASCAR Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman lost control of his Dodge race car coming out of turn 4 at the Daytona 500, causing him to crash both into the wall and another car before spiraling out of control at the Daytona International Speedway.

"That's 3,400 pounds, folks, just lifted up in the air like a feather!" the race's announcer reportedly exclaimed at the time.

Newman's rear axle disconnected upon impact, but he miraculously walked away from the crash.

Randy Newman - Daytona - 2003

Though his car was severely damaged, Newman appeared for the most part unfazed by the crash, focusing on the future in his statements to media.

"Daytona is just one race, it doesn't make or break the season,'' he said. "We wrecked out, there's nothing we can do about that except pack up and move on to Rockingham.''

Here, Daytona Speedway track safety workers check on Ryan Newman after his crash at the Daytona 500, February 16, 2003.

Concord - 2002

On October 13, 2002, Kevin Harvick and his #29 Goodwrench Chevy were involved in a multi-car crash during the NASCAR Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Johnny Sauter – Talladega – 2002

When Johnny Sauter flipped his car on the backstretch of the Talladega Superspeedway, April 20, 2002, he took down nearly all the other cars in the race, along with him.

The other drivers attempted to swerve out of the way, but thirty of them simply ended up piling on top of each other in one of NASCAR's biggest wrecks ever.

Here, Busch Series drivers from left, Johnny Sauter (2), on top of Randy LaJoie, Greg Biffle (60), Scott Riggs (10) and Joe Nemechek (87) crash on the track.

Tony Stewart - Daytona - 2001

On February 18, 2001, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart was launched into a series of rolls, triggering a 19-car accident on lap 173 of the Winston Cup Daytona 500.

It was one of the first times the term "the big one" was used to described a multi-car wreck in NASCAR coverage; Fox commentator Darrell Waltrip exclaiming, "It's the big one, gang, it's the big one. It's what we've all been fearing in this kind of racing is going to happen."

Dale Earnhardt - Daytona - 2001

The most notorious accident in NASCAR history is without question the one that claimed the life of renowned stock car driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., February 18, 2001.

Earnhardt and fellow driver Ken Schrader collided during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, sending Earnhardt's car into the retaining wall head-on. He was killed instantly upon impact, after sustaining serious blunt force trauma to his head.

The fourth NASCAR driver to die in 2001, Earnhardt's death is responsible for a number of safety improvements now implemented to better protect drivers, including mandated head-and-neck restraints and a roof-hatch escape system.

Geoff Bodine - Daytona - 2000

NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine broke his wrist, cheekbone, ankle and part of his back, in addition to suffering a serious concussion, when his race truck flipped and barreled into the catch fence at 190 miles per hour, February 18, 2000.

It was the first ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, and Bodine was coming down the outside of the track when Kurt Busch and Rob Morgan collided. The collision pushed Morgan's truck into Bodine's and sent it smashing into the catch fence. Bodine's truck then crashed into several other trucks, before rolling to a stop. By that time, only the roll cage was left.

Nine fans were also injured as the crash sent debris and a ball of flames into the grandstands.

Tony Roper - Texas - 2000

NASCAR driver Tony Roper was killed October 13, 2000, when his vehicle crashed at high speeds during the O'Reilly 400, part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the Texas Motorspeedway in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Here, crew members and emergency personnel pull his body from the wreckage.

Rusty Wallace - Daytona - 1993

NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace went airborne in his Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac during the Daytona 500 International Race of Champions, February 14,1993.

The car was hit, while jockeying for position, causing it to spin out of control, then flip several times before landing on the grass at the Daytona International Speedway.

Wallace's car was severely damaged, but he amazingly walked away from the crash.