The 25 Craziest Non-Fatal NASCAR Crashes, in GIFs

Watch in awe as we look back at some amazing collisions where the drivers lived to see another day.

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Complex Original

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Some people claim NASCAR is only watched for the crashes, and there's no doubt many of its fans only do watch for the crashes. It's because they are fascinating. When that much mass is moving at those kinds of speeds, things can go spectacularly wrong. We've compiled a list of the craziest crashes in NASCAR history that don't involve people kicking the bucket. That means you can enjoy watching them (mostly) guilt free. 

Related: The 50 Most Badass NASCAR Rides of All Time

Edwards Takes Down Keselowski in Atlanta

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25. Edwards Takes Down Keselowski in Atlanta

Carl Edwards maneuvered this one perfectly. He was mad at Keselowski for an earlier crash and really managed to send him flying. Brad didn't get his first top ten in that Dodge that day.

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Big One at the 1989 Winston 500

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24. Big One at the 1989 Winston 500

There were less than 20 laps to go and this crash destroyed seven cars and damaged a number of others. Despite some very hard impacts against the walls, nobody was seriously hurt, which is nothing short of miraculous given that this was before the invention of the soft barriers.

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Elliot Sadler Does Some Acrobatics at Talladega in 2003

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23. Elliot Sadler Does Some Acrobatics at Talladega in 2003

What olympic judge wouldn't give this breathtaking combination of flips, spins, and corkscrews a perfect ten? Sadler sure must have had a hard time trying to figure out where the hell he was during that one.

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Trevor Boys Goes for a Wild Ride at the 1984 Talladega 500

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22. Trevor Boys Goes for a Wild Ride at the 1984 Talladega 500

Trevor Boys spins, slides on his roof, and rolls all in one crash. It's like watching competetive diving gone totally mad. Turn four of Talladega didn't treat him too kindly in '84.

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Michael Waltrip Destroys His Car in Bristol in 1990

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21. Michael Waltrip Destroys His Car in Bristol in 1990

It really is amazing how quickly a car can go from racing to "not even remotely car shaped." What's even more amazing is that the little, fleshy Michael Waltrip inside can walk away from a wreck like that. Luckily he's got that hard head, which is a Waltrip family feature according to his brother.

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Steve Grissom's Car Disintegrates in Atlanta in 1997

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20. Steve Grissom's Car Disintegrates in Atlanta in 1997

In 1997 at Atlanta Steve Grisson hit the inside wall really, really hard. Within seconds the entire back end of his car was gone, with just an axle flapping around wildly. Apparently, this wasn't dramatic enough so his gas tank decided to fly out of the car behind him and burst into a spectacular fireball.

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Richard Petty at the 1970 Rebel 400

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19. Richard Petty at the 1970 Rebel 400

Petty lost control of his Plymouth Road Runner and ended up in a wreck that could have easily caved the roof given the tech level in 1970. After he flailed about in his cockpit, NASCAR started requiring safety nets to keep the drivers from flying out of their windows. He suffered some serious injuries, but managed to make it out alive.

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Rusty Wallace in 1993 at Talladega

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18. Rusty Wallace in 1993 at Talladega

Rusty Wallace really does seem to be crash proof. He's usually flying through the air more than other drivers, but luckily, he manages to do this without getting decapitated or anything.

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Darrell Waltrip at the 1991 Pepsi 400

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17. Darrell Waltrip at the 1991 Pepsi 400

Darrell Waltrip gets t-boned and launched into the infield. It looks like he's just going to slide for a while until his car hits a bump and start to roll, shedding almost all of the bodywork.

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Big One at the 1998 Die Hard 500

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16. Big One at the 1998 Die Hard 500

Ward Burton nudges Dale Earnhardt into Bill Elliot and then all hell breaks loose. What was an orderly race a few moments earlier is suddenly nothing more than a flock of wildly spinning cars in an impenetrable cloud of smoke. Amazingly, the only injury was Earnhardt's singed mustache.

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Dale Earnhardt in the 1996 Die Hard 500

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15. Dale Earnhardt in the 1996 Die Hard 500

Earnhardt makes contact and quickly ends up hitting the wall almost head on at 190mph. While he survived this one, the beginning does look eerily similar to the crash that killed him in 2001. This time, his car was rotated a few more degrees, transferring that momentum into spinning and flipping the car, rather than getting stopped all at once. He ended up breaking his collar bone, but managed to walk away under his own power.

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Mike Harmon Cheats Death Twice in Bristol in 2002

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14. Mike Harmon Cheats Death Twice in Bristol in 2002

Mike Harmon hit the wall in 2002, tore his car wide open, and made a little fireball right in front of his face. Mere seconds later, another racer collided with the wreck. Harmon must have been feeling pretty damn lucky after this incident.

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Ricky Craven in the 1996 Winston Select 500

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13. Ricky Craven in the 1996 Winston Select 500

Ricky Craven gets all the press for this one, since his car was the only one flying around, but he certainly wasn't the only driver involved in this fustercluck. It really is amazing how much havoc can be caused by one litte nudge.

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Cale Yarborough Does a Fillsbury Flop at Darlington in 1965

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12. Cale Yarborough Does a Fillsbury Flop at Darlington in 1965

These days we have safety equipment to prevent things like this from happening; complicated devices like fences and walls. But back in 1965 Cale yarborough was free to flop right over the wall and down a small hill. Amazingly, despite the lack of what we would today call basic safety equipment in his car, he was unharmed.

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Juan Pablo Montoya Gives us a Light Show at the 2006 Ford 400

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11. Juan Pablo Montoya Gives us a Light Show at the 2006 Ford 400

After Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya have a little contact that ended with Newman spinning out and losing quite a bit of time, Newman decided he was out for revenge. And he sure got it. By the end of the incident, Montoya's car had burst into one of the largest fireballs in NASCAR history. This is the incident that ignited one of NASCAR's great rivalries. PS: We can't help it "My name is Juan Pablo Montoya. You burned my car. Prepare to die."

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Rusty Wallace in the 1993 Daytona 500

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10. Rusty Wallace in the 1993 Daytona 500

For the first second it looks like it's just going to be a run of the mill "cars bump each other and start sliding around" kind of crash. But then, things get real ugly real fast, and Wallace's car practically disintegrates.

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Bobby Allison in the 1987 Winston 500

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9. Bobby Allison in the 1987 Winston 500

After blowing a tire, Allison's car spun around and the air rushing over the car caused it to create a low-pressure region over the car-just like an airplane's wing-and take flight. He took out a large section of protective fencing and came quite close to taking his own life as well as a handful of spectators. It was after this crash that the restrictor plates were installed on all cars that disrupt the airflow over the car should it turn around. Jetlife!

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Carl Edwards in the 2009 Aaron's 499

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8. Carl Edwards in the 2009 Aaron's 499

In the last lap of the Aarons 499, Carl Edwards tried his best to prevent upstart Brad Keselowski from getting a coveted first place in his fifth Sprint Cup race. He failed miserably and ended up walking the rest of the race. Karma is a mutha.

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Ryan Newman Pulls out His WWE Moves at the 2009 AMP Energy 500

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7. Ryan Newman Pulls out His WWE Moves at the 2009 AMP Energy 500

While Ryan Newman certainly got the craziest ride out of this one, Kevin Harvick's view was certainly the most shit-your-pants-terrifying. Just try to imagine what that would look like.

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Richard Petty Sheds Most of the Parts of his Car at the 1988 Daytona 500

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6. Richard Petty Sheds Most of the Parts of his Car at the 1988 Daytona 500

Richard Petty got hit from behind and tossed into the air. His car ended up leaning against the fence and grinding both the front and the rear in a spectacular fashion. By the time all was said and done, the whole front and rear ends of his car had been ground away and then someone drove into him. Injury just isn't the same without insult.

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Michael McDowell in 2008 Texas Sprint Cup Qualifiers

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5. Michael McDowell in 2008 Texas Sprint Cup Qualifiers

What appeared to be a normal qualifying lap suddenly turned into a rolling, bouncing, jagged steel fireball with a 23 year-old Michael Mcdowell stuck in the middle. Amazingly, he pretty much just hopped right out and walked away. More proof that all the safety equipment added in recent years really does do its job.

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Big One at the 1973 Winston 500

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4. Big One at the 1973 Winston 500

On the 28th lap of the '73 Winston 500, Ramo Stott's engine blew which caused him to lose control. The issue was that he ended up causing 20 other drivers to lose control as well. There we no deaths, but many were seriously injured, including Wendell Scott, the only African-American to ever win a cup race.

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Clint Bowyer Finishes the 2007 Daytona 500 Upside Down

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3. Clint Bowyer Finishes the 2007 Daytona 500 Upside Down

Clint Bowyer was having a pretty good day as he approached the finish line in the top ten. That was until Kyle Busch intervened and created a big wreck that caused Bowyer to have to finish the race in 18th place... and on his roof with a flaming engine compartment.

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Daytona Spills Into the Stands

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2. Daytona Spills Into the Stands

A lot of people expect at least one big crash in superspeedway races like in Daytona, but nothing this terrifying. The fans were watching a close race at DRIVE4COPD 300 when Kyle Larson's car got turned sideways and into a collision that send it airborne. The car broke into pieces, sending parts of the engine and at least one tire into the stands. The wreck sent 15 spectators to the hospital, including one on the way to surgery because of head trauma.


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Big One in 1960 at Daytona

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1. Big One in 1960 at Daytona

In the 1960 Daytona 500, 68 cars started. Suddenly, coming out of turn four, 37 of those cars were no longer in the race. Several of the cars found themselves upside down and despite the lack of safety tech in 1960, nobody was seriosuly hurt.

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