Nascar drivers RIP

tkj24

tkj24

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I found this on another forum and thought someone might be interested.


NASCAR drivers who have been killed on tracks since 1952, including the setting, location and the date:
Larry Mann, race, Langhorne, Pa., Sept. 14, 1952
Frank Arford, qualifying, Langhorne, Pa., race, June 20, 1953
Lou Figaro, race, North Wilkesboro, N.C., Oct. 25, 1954
John McVitty, qualifying, Langhorne, Pa., April 21, 1956
Clint McHugh, qualifying, LeHi, Ark., June 9, 1956
Thomas "Cotton" Priddy, race, LeHi, Ark., June 10, 1956
Bobby Myers, race, Darlington, S.C., Sept. 2, 1957
Gwynn Staley, race, Richmond, Va., March 23, 1958
Joe Weatherly, race, Riverside, Jan. 19, 1964
Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, race, Charlotte, N.C., July 2, 1964
Jimmy Pardue, tire test, Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 22, 1964
Billy Wade, tire test, Daytona Beach, Fla., Jan. 5, 1965
Buren Skeen, race, Darlington, S.C., Sept. 13, 1965
Harold Kite, race, Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 17, 1965
Billy Foster, practice, Riverside, Calif., Jan. 20, 1967
Talmadge Prince, qualifying, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 19, 1970
Friday Hassler, qualifying, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 17, 1972
Larry Smith, race, Talladega, Ala., Aug. 12, 1973
Tiny Lund, race, Talladega, Ala., Aug. 17, 1975
Ricky Knotts, qualifying, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 14, 1980
Terry Schoonover, race, Atlanta, Nov. 11, 1985
Rick Baldwin, qualifying (died in 1997), Michigan, June 16, 1986
Bruce Jacobi, qualifying (died four years after crash), Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 4, 1987
Grant Adcox, race, Atlanta, Nov. 19, 1989
J.D. McDuffie, race, Watkins Glen, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1991
Clifford Allison, BGN practice, Brooklyn, Mich., Aug. 13, 1992
Neil Bonnett, practice, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 11, 1994
Rodney Orr, qualifying, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 14, 1994
John Nemechek, truck race injuries, Homestead, Fla., March 21, 1997
Adam Petty, BGN practice, Loudon, N.H., May 12, 2000
Kenny Irwin, practice, Loudon, N.H., July 7, 2000
Tony Roper, truck race, Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 14, 2000
Dale Earnhardt, Daytona 500, Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 18, 2001
http://www.jayski.com/pages/faqrace.htm#numbers
 
Grant Adcox, race, Atlanta, Nov. 19, 1989


I was at Atlanta when Grant Adcox was killed.
 
Tragic deaths its great that the cars have gotten a lot safer now.
 
I was at TMS when Tony Roper died, I will never forget the sound of the impact. :(
 
Petty and Irwin died at N.H. I didn't think it was that dangerous of a track. Shows what I know.
 
Lap3Forever said:
He was killed in an ARCA race at Lowe's. He was in a wreck with Kerry Earnhardt. That wreck would not of happaned if there was a little more give and not so much take.
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They were racing hard for the win. What killed him was Debra Renshaw when she came out of four at full speed & plowed right into him. The wreck happened well in front of her & alot of people never could understand what she was thinking. I only saw it on TV though, I wasn't actualy there.
 
Restrictor Plate King! said:
They were racing hard for the win. What killed him was Debra Renshaw when she came out of four at full speed & plowed right into him. The wreck happened well in front of her & alot of people never could understand what she was thinking. I only saw it on TV though, I wasn't actualy there.
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I don't remember it that way. Renshaw hit Eric Martin at Lowe's and he died. IIRC it was the year(??) after Kerry hit Blaize at Lowes. In both instances Renshaw and Earnhardt claimed to have gotten into fluids and lost control causing them to hit the other driver.
 
barelypure said:
I don't remember it that way. Renshaw hit Eric Martin at Lowe's and he died. IIRC it was the year(??) after Kerry hit Blaize at Lowes. In both instances Renshaw and Earnhardt claimed to have gotten into fluids and lost control causing them to hit the other driver.
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Right, bp, Renshew didn't have anything to do with Kerry and Blaize. They were coming off turn 4. Kerry was on the inside just at the bumper of Blaize. His car slid/twitched and touched Blaize turning him head-on into the wall --- both cars were wide open.

If memory serves, Kerry wound up upside down in the grass.
 
OK I apologize for speaking out of my butt, I apparently these incidents mixed up in my mind, below is what really happened...

Wednesday, October 9
Updated: October 10, 8:55 PM ET
Martin killed in wreck at Charlotte
Associated Press


CONCORD, N.C. -- A driver on the minor league ARCA series crashed into a wall Wednesday and seconds later was broad-sided by another car, killing him and injuring the other driver.

Eric Martin radioed his team, "I'm all right" after he spun and rammed the wall backward coming out of the fourth turn during practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway. But the other car, driven by Deborah Renshaw, came around the turn going at least 160 mph and plowed into Martin's car on the driver's side.


ARCA safety officials remove Eric Martin from his wrecked car after an accident during practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway.


"The first hit, I guess he just kind of lost his breath," said veteran driver Ron Hornaday. "The second one, a driver is never ready for that second impact and that's the one that got him. It's nobody's fault, it's just a brutal sport sometimes."

The 33-year-old Martin died instantly of massive internal injuries.

The 25-year-old Renshaw was taken to University Hospital in Charlotte, where she was in fair condition and being examined for possible ankle injuries.

The wreck happened during practice for the EasyCare 150, the final race of the season for the Automobile Racing Club of America, a 50-year-old training series for drivers hoping to move up to NASCAR.

Qualifying was canceled following the wreck, with the field for Thursday night's race being set by season points.

Martin's team tearfully circled the back of their hauler, with crew members wiping their eyes as they talked on their cell phones. Renshaw's truck was packed up, the back door pulled shut.

A dozen drivers went to the track's media center and stood behind ARCA president Ron Drager as a show of support.

ARCA drivers are required to wear head and neck restraints. They usually drive old Winston Cup cars and the safety requirements are not as strict.

At issue in this wreck is why Renshaw either didn't see Martin's disabled car or was unable to avoid him.

Spotters are not required to climb onto the grandstand roof during practice to help a driver navigate the track. Instead, the spotters watch the race from the top of the haulers inside the infield, giving them several blind spots.

Car owner Bob Schacht, a three-time ARCA series champion, was spotting for Renshaw on top of the team hauler, but Drager would not speculate if he saw Martin's car or not.

Wayne Hixson, Martin's team owner, said he started working with the driver about four years ago, and they had run in all the ARCA races this year.

"He was learning real good with the car and he either got in some oil or blew a right front" tire, Hixson said. "He hit the wall. He came on the radio and said, 'I'm all right.' And then the 75 (car) just came around and broad-sided him.

"It was just a racing accident, that's all."

After the crash, the engine and a part of the wheel assembly sat on the track as the wreckage was lifted onto a tow truck and covered with a blue tarp.

Martin was from Hixson, Tenn. He is survived by a wife and two children. His wife, Tammy, is a naval officer aboard the USS Gettysburg, which is in port in Jacksonville, Fla.

He had 40 career starts and was 20th in the points standings in ARCA, which competes on many of the same tracks used for Winston Cup and Busch events.

Martin's death is the 15th at Lowe's, the eighth involving a stock car driver. Blaise Alexander was killed last October at an ARCA race in a wreck involving Kerry Earnhardt.

Renshaw has had a tumultuous racing year, beginning in July when fellow drivers plotted to ruin her Late Model Series title chances at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway. They pooled their money together, had a driver intentionally finish behind her during a race and paid for him to protest her finish.

She was disqualified when her car failed inspection. But the protest led to a ton of attention and caught the eye of Rick Goodwin, who planned to put Renshaw in a Busch series car next season.



Alexander killed in ARCA race

Click here for more on this story
Posted: Thursday October 04, 2001 11:38 PM
Updated: Friday October 05, 2001 2:39 AM

Blaise Alexander's death is the 14th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. AP

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Blaise Alexander, the 25-year-old ARCA driver who also competed on NASCAR's Busch series, was killed Thursday night in a wreck at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Alexander had just passed Kerry Earnhardt for the lead with four laps to go in the EasyCare 100 when his car pulled in too close in front of Earnhardt's after the pass.

Earnhardt caught Alexander's rear bumper, sending both cars into a spin coming out of turn 4. Alexander's car, already running close to the outside wall, cut right and the Pontiac slammed into the concrete at an almost head-first angle.

His car then hit Earnhardt's again, flipping it and sending Earnhardt's Chevrolet hurtling down the track on its roof with flames shooting out from under the hood.

Crash in Charlotte
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Blaise Alexander and Kerry Earnhardt get tangled up in Charlotte. Start
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Alexander's car came to a rest on the infield grass. The 1996 ARCA rookie of the year had to be cut out of the car, was placed on a stretcher and rushed to the infield car center. He was pronounced dead from severe head injuries at 10:20 p.m.

"It is with great sadness that we must report that Blaise Alexander died as a result of his injuries in tonight's accident," track spokesman Jerry Gappens said.

"It was a severe head injury. Our emergency technicians went to the car and found him unconscious, unresponsive and with no vital signs. They worked on him for 25 minutes and got no response."

Alexander's father, Blaise Sr., and brother were in the pits at the time of the accident.

"Obviously what we had was a violent deceleration here on the frontstretch," ARCA president Ron Drager said. "It was pretty plain to see."

Alexander was not wearing any type of head and neck restraint system, but Drager said ARCA requires its driver to wear a neck collar generally referred to as a "horse collar."

By the Numbers
Blaise Alexander's 2001 ARCA season summary
Date Location Finish
Feb. 11 Daytona Beach, Fla. 8th
Apr. 22 Winchester, Ind. 28th
Apr. 29 Salem, Ind. 6th
June 9 Brooklyn, Mich. 6th
June 16 Long Pond, Pa. 9th
July 7 Watkins Glen, N.Y. 2nd
July 21 Brooklyn, Mich. 1st
July 28 Long Pond, Pa. 2nd
Career Busch series stats, click here

Career highlights, click here



Alexander was wearing one, which was made by Simpson Performance Products, and Drager said on initial inspection it did not appear damaged.

Alexander's death is the 14th at Lowe's, the seventh involving a stock car driver. Before Alexander, the most recent driver to die at the track was Russell Phillips in 1995. He also died from head injuries.

Alexander, from Montoursville, Pa., had three career ARCA wins, including one this year at Michigan Speedway. He also was running a limited schedule on the Busch series, with a best finish of 11th at the same track.

Earnhardt, eldest son of the late Dale Earnhardt, was not injured in the wreck. His car came to a stop near the start/finish line and he was able to climb out and run from it as the flames intensified.

The race was called four laps short of the 67-lap completion, with Earnhardt declared the winner. There was no Victory Lane celebration.

"It was a wild ride, something I never experienced before," Earnhardt said. "Blaise came up on me and turned in on me and knocked me upside down. It's just crazy out there, that's all I can say."

ARCA is generally considered a feeder system for NASCAR and uses cars similar to the ones raced in the Winston Cup series.

NASCAR has had four fatal injuries since May 2000, including the one that killed Dale Earnhardt in the Feb. 18 season-opening Daytona 500.

Adam Petty was killed in a May 2000 wreck during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway and Kenny Irwin was killed in the same place two months later.

Tony Roper, a Truck series driver, was killed in an accident last year at Texas Motor Speedway.
 
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