Video: From Cars Catching Fire to Dale Earnhardt Jr Flipping Drivers—5 of the Worst Crashes in Pocono

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Pocono Raceway. The 2.5-mile track has developed a fearsome reputation since its Cup Series debut, all the way back in 1974. This track is also unique because of its shape, which deviates from the traditional oval. Instead, the layout forms a triangular shape with only three corners, and this actually makes it unpredictable. Even the smallest mistakes can catch out the most seasoned drivers, and no one is spared. Notable victims include Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Steve Park, Kasey Kahne, and many more.

This race track has seen its fair share of massive wrecks, either individual or multi-car. However, it also does not help matters that the weather in the area can be unpredictable. With the last few races being rain-hit, even forcing a postponement at New Hampshire, fans are not exactly thrilled. Even without the rain, the track is no less treacherous, as a number of drivers found out.

“The King” Richard Petty is one of many high-profile victims

Without a doubt, Richard Petty is the greatest legend of NASCAR. However, nothing could save the first 7x Cup Series champion from crashing out at the Tricky Triangle in 1980. As it happened, he was driving into the second turn when his right front wheel had an issue. From that point onwards, Petty was just a passenger as his #43 car speared into the wall and went airborne. After gravity made itself known, he slid back down the track. Then, things got worse when Chuck Bown spun after him, and created a smokescreen. As a result, Darrell Waltrip was unsighted and crashed into the unsuspecting Petty. The impact injured the 7-time champion’s neck.

Then in 2003, Ken Schrader endured a scary accident where his car even caught fire. Heading into the corner, his brakes failed and he was pitched into the outside wall. Upon impact, the car began to pitch over on its side and did a barrel roll. When it righted itself, the car slid down the track and caught fire. Fortunately, Schrader was able to exit his car quickly and didn’t look too injured.

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Others like Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr also crashed

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Later on in 2010, Kasey Kahne endured a scary accident that took out multiple cars. Apparently, he was trying to overtake AJ Allmendinger when he went on the grass and spun. As he spun towards the wall, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle speared into him and Kahne’s #9 car went airborne briefly. Also caught up in the incident were Martin Truex Jr, Elliott Sadler, Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Gordon, David Stremme, and David Ragan.

Turning back the clock to 2002, another frightening crash took place. Following the race start, Steve Park spun off, and Dale Earnhardt Jr pretty much had nowhere to go. Park got the worse end of the deal because his car flipped several times before coming to a stop. The first thing that Dale Jr did after exiting his car, was to check on teammate Park and help him out of the car.

Finally, there was Davey Allison’s 1992 crash, which also saw his car flipping. Like most of the crashes here, his #28 car went airborne and flipped several times on the grass. By the time the ordeal was over, the car had landed on its roof. This crash was so violent that the car somersaulted over the infield guardrail and tore itself to shreds.

The good news was that everyone involved in these accidents, walked away with their lives intact. Of course, this is not to scare the Cup Series drivers, but they all know what they are getting themselves into.

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