During the finish of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, many racers were trying to navigate for position on Turn 1 when Austin Dillon was hit by Jeff Gordon's car. Dillon's car went airborne and violently hit the catch fence. Miraculously, Dillon came away unscathed, but five fans in the stands were treated for minor injuries.
Following Dillon's unbelievable escape, we take a look at the craziest nonfatal crashes racing has ever witnessed.
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2009 Aaron's 499
At the 2009 Aaron's 499, driver Carl Edwards entered the tri-oval before getting bumped by Brad Keselowski. Edwards's car took flight before crashing down. In a tribute to Will Ferrell, Edwards exited his car and ran to the finish line, Ricky Bobby-style. The Talladega crowd was shocked to see Edwards come away unhurt.
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2010 Aaron's 312
In the final lap of the 2010 Aaron's 312 at Talladega, Dennis Setzer's No. 92 race car burst into flames after hitting the wall, catch fence and fence pole before coming to rest on all four wheels. Setzer came away unhurt.
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2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500
Crashes on the final lap are common. In 2012 at Talladega, Tony Stewart flipped his vehicle, causing a chain reaction of scattered cars.
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2000 Daytona 250
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Geoffrey Bodine's ride was slingshotted into the catch fence at nearly 190 miles per hour. Bodine's truck erupted in flames while flipping nine times. The vicious accident resulted in a broken jaw, wrist and shoulder, plus a concussion for Bodine.
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2013 DRIVE4COPD 300
The second crash of the 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300 was the most devastating. On the final lap at Daytona, Kyle Larson was catapulted into the catch fence, while losing a tire. The aftermath of the crash injured 28 fans, including two with critical injuries.
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1998 Diehard 500
At the 1998 DieHard 500, Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott's cars met on the Talladega track and, eventually, ran onto the fence. Both walked away intact.
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2003 Daytona 500
In the midst of the 2003 Daytona 500, Ryan Newman's No. 12 car barrel rolled end over end into the infield grass. Thankfully, Newman was not injured in the crash.
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2009 AAA 400
Heading into Turn 3 on the 31st lap, Joey Logano's vehicle was bumped, causing his car to go sideways during the 2009 AAA 400. The Dover crowd cheered as the young racer walked away from it.
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2009 Coke Zero 400
At the 2009 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, the rear of Kyle Busch's car ended up on top of Kasey Kahne's No. 9 machine. It resulted in the wreck of nearly a dozen cars.
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2007 Daytona 500
In the final lap of the 2007 Daytona 500, a chain reaction of crashes unfolded on the speedway. Clint Bowyer's car took the worst of the crash after his car flipped upside down and the grass was partially lit on fire.
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2001 Daytona 500
Tony Stewart's No. 20 car went airborne and flipped multiple times before generating a 19-car crash at the tragic 2001 Daytona 500.
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1984 Busch Clash
Ricky Rudd's No. 15 car rolled through the Daytona International Speedway seven (!) times in the 1984 Busch Class. Rudd came away badly bruised, but won the following week's race with his eyes taped open.
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2010 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
At the Pocono Raceway in 2010, Elliott Sadler's race car drove head first into the wall at 160 mph. The front of the car, including the engine, was littered throughout the track and took nearly 30 minutes to clean up. Sadler walked away from the wreck unharmed.
