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via Getty

via Getty

As rewarding as motorsports and NASCAR are, there is always an element of risk to the safety of the drivers. A slight mistake can cause potential damage to both car and driver, and the sport has seen multiple crashes in its history.

Here, we take a look at the five big crashes that occurred in this year’s edition of the NASCAR season.

Ryan Newman – Daytona

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From a potential Daytona 500 race winner to a car struck in flames, it was not the best of races for Ryan Newman that day. Going into the last lap of the race, he was well on course to win the ‘greatest American race’.

Instead, Blaney’s last-ditch effort to go for the win ended up turning Newman around. As a result of that, the latter collided into the wall and on Corey LaJoie’s follow-up went hurtling across the side stretch.

Denny Hamlin – Indianapolis

A moment that left Hamlin gutted was his crash in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. With just about eight laps to go in the race, he comfortably led Kevin Harvick out in front.

However, a right-front tire failure caused him to go into the wall, effectively ending his race. The fact that he had gotten so close to winning the event would certainly have hit him hard.

Anthony Alfredo – Kansas

Racing in the Xfinity Series in the Kansas Lottery 300, Alfredo, unfortunately, got flipped over on his roof. The Richard Childress Racing prospect attempted to pass Brandon Brown and Justin Allgaier, but was blocked off by the latter.

It saw him slide across the track upside down and stuck in that position for a long time. Thankfully, he escaped from the accident largely unhurt.

‘The Big One’ – Talladega

In NASCAR parlance, the ‘Big One’ refers to an incident where multiple drivers are involved in a pileup crash. At the Talladega Superspeedway, Clint Bowyer’s unintentional mistake started off the chain sequence of events.

Turning around Jimmie Johnson first, it led to Kurt Busch and Cole Custer crashing into each other. Further on, the likes of Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch also suffered minor damage to their cars. Kurt Busch’s also went in the air before landing on the roof.

Ryan Preece – Kansas

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Following Christopher Bell’s attempt to get in front, he collided with Newman and into the sidewall and rebounded onto the track. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver then tried his best to avoid the incoming carnage from the No.95.

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Ultimately, Preece’s car got pushed into the side stretch barriers and suffered an ugly crash. The collision impact naturally looked violent and forced retirement for him from the race.

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