Memorable wrecks at Talladega

By Staff Report | Thursday, June 18, 2020

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1987 Winston 500

Bobby Allison's incident at 'Dega led to restrictor plates. Running at more than 200 mph, Allison's tire went down, causing the car to turn sideways and go airborne. NASCAR mandated smaller carburetors for the remaining 1987 events at Talladega and Daytona. The following year, NASCAR enforced restrictor plates at the two tracks.

Video: Memorable Talladega wrecks

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1993 Winston 500

On the final lap, Rusty Wallace was bumped by Dale Earnhardt and went spinning, and then flying into the air. His car rolled down onto the grass, with parts strewn across the track. Crossing the start/finish line still airborne, Wallace finished the race in sixth. After Wallace's crash, NASCAR added roof flaps on the tops of cars.

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1996 Winston Select 500

Thirteen cars were involved in the 'Big One' of the 1996 Winston Select 500. Ricky Craven was sent soaring between Turns 1 and 2 before plummeting down the banking, causing the pileup. Craven sustained two cracked vertebrae but went on to race the following weekend. The remainder of his car can be found at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, located a mile from where it crashed.

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1996 DieHard 500

Dale Earnhardt was leading the 1996 DieHard 500 when he got into the wall coming out of a turn. After smacking the barrier, the No. 3 flipped and slid across the track directly in the path of traffic. Earnhardt's car was hit in the roof and windshield as it bounced between traffic. 'The Intimidator' walked to the ambulance on his own.

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2009 Aaron's 499

While being pushed by Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards passed Ryan Newman for the lead to take the white flag on Lap 187. Edwards then attempted to block a pass by Keselowski, but Keselowski made contact with Edwards' left rear quarter panel. Edwards spun backward and was sent into the air. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to slip by on the inside as Edwards' airborne car bounced off and smashed Newman's hood. This second hit propelled Edwards' car higher.

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2009 AMP Energy 500

Talladega was not friendly to Ryan Newman in 2009. After having his car smashed by Carl Edwards' airborne car in the spring, Newman wrecked in the fall. With just five laps left to go in the race, Newman's car got a nudge that sent his No. 39 flipping over Kevin Harvick. Newman continued to flip off the track, also collecting Elliott Sadler and Marcos Ambrose. A red flag was waved as the track was cleared of debris and Newman was cut from his car, but walked away from the incident uninjured.

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John Harrelson/2010 Getty Images

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2010 Xfinity Series Aaron's 312

On the last lap of the 2010 Xfinity Series Aaron's 312, Jamie McMurray tried to move behind Kevin Harvick. He couldn't find enough room, and Clint Bowyer clipped him, setting off an accident that collected several cars. The No. 92 of Dennis Setzer was coming out of Turn 4 when he was sent up the wall. Setzer then hit a fence pole that spun him around, ending with a fiery explosion and the car landing on all four wheels.

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2010 Aaron's 499

Causing quite a crowd reaction on Lap 189's green-white-checkered restart, Jamie McMurray was in the lead. One lap later, after the seventh caution of the race and second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, a wreck occurred in Turn 3 that started when Joey Logano turned Ryan Newman loose, which spun him out and collected a group of drivers such as Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Sam Hornish Jr. and Brad Keselowski.

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Kevin C. Cox/2010 Getty Images

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2010 AMP Energy Juice 500

On the last lap of the 2010 AMP Energy Juice 500, AJ Allmendinger was sent airborne over David Gilliland coming out of Turn 1, collecting multiple drivers including Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Scott Speed. The No. 43 of Allmendinger crashed into the wall before eventually stopping on the apron.

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2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500

Tony Stewart was leading at Talladega on the final lap when he was turned by Michael Waltrip, who was in turn being pushed by Casey Mears. The cars were running four-wide when a 25-car pileup took out 10-12 title contenders. Matt Kenseth made it through and won the race.

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2016 Xfinity Series Sparks Energy 300

Joey Logano was leading during an overtime finish in the spring Xfinity Series race as the white flag flew. Elliott Sadler, who had pushed Logano to the front, went for the pass and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford and No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet made contact. Logano was sent spinning into the wall out of the tri-oval, and Brennan Poole crossed the start/finish line first. However, after NASCAR reviewed the finish, it was determined Sadler was leading when the yellow came out.

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2016 GEICO 500

Brad Keselowski was leading when mayhem erupted behind him in the closing laps May 1, 2016. By the end, Kevin Harvick's car had turned upside down, and 21 cars total were involved in the wreckage. Kurt Busch's No. 41 car hooked the bumper of Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 to send it spinning into the outside wall, setting off 'The Big One.'

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Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images

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2016 GEICO 500

Matt Kenseth's part of the wreck was more dramatic as the No. 20 overturned and bounced up on the SAFER barrier. But Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet, may have taken the harder hit, going nose-first into the inside wall. After the race, Kenseth indicated he thought Joey Logano pushing him down well below the yellow line actually started the chain of events that led to the wreck.

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Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images

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2016 GEICO 500

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 34 Ford, went tumbling down the backstretch at Talledega on May 1, 2016. Seven cars were involved in the accident on Lap 96, and Buescher's car landed on its tires, with the driver putting down his window net shortly after coming to rest, indicating he was OK.

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2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola

A 14-truck (in a field of 32 trucks) accident involving Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick and a host of others in Turn 1 brought out a lengthy caution on Lap 61 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in 2016. The incident was touched off when Ben Rhodes got shuffled out of line, bounced off the retaining wall and veered into traffic.

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2017 GEICO 500

An 18-car wreck on Lap 168 involving Chase Elliott, AJ Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Danica Patrick and a host of others brought out a red flag. Allmendinger was battling Elliott for second when he got into the driver of the No. 24 and sent him shooting up the track before 'Dinger went for a spin himself, touching off a big incident.

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2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola

A big wreck occurred in NASCAR Overtime of the Truck Series race in October just after the leader Parker Kligerman took the white flag. Justin Haley's No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet took on a lot of damage but there were many others involved.

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2017 Alabama 500

A 16-car wreck with 16 laps to go shook up the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff picture in the middle race in the Round of 12. Among the playoff drivers who saw their day hindered by this incident: Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr.

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2018 GEICO 500

A wild 14-car incident collected Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and a host of others with 22 laps to go in the 2018 spring race.

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2019 GEICO 500

The aftermath of Kyle Larson's No. 42 Chevrolet following multiple flips in a last-lap wreck. Contact between David Ragan and William Byron sent Byron's car into the outside wall, and it bounced back into the pack and struck Larson's side. The No. 42 was sent barrelling toward the inside wall, where it flipped down the apron following a hard impact.

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2019 1000Bulbs.com 500

Alex Bowman in the No. 88 tried to black a hard-charging Joey Logano from passing him for the lead but he misjudged and ended up causing a massive 10-car wreck. His car was totaled along with teammate Jimmie Johnson's and Kyle Larson in the No. 42.

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Sean Gardner | Getty Images

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2019 1000Bulbs.com 500

A late-race wreck involving the frontrunners at Talladega sent Brendan Gaughan in the No. 62 up in the air. He flipped and then came back down to land on the tires.