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The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season was characterized not only by victories and nail-biting finishes but also by heart-stopping collisions. With the close-pack racing that Superspeedways fosters, accidents have become an integral part of the premier series.
The Superspeedway races from this season also provided its fair share of colossal wrecks etching lasting memories for NASCAR fans. This year, however, intermediate speedways also witnessed their share of harrowing wrecks.
NASCAR continues to work on driver safety as the safety features in the next-gen car keep evolving after every wreck. Most drivers were left unscratched even after taking some big hits this season.
Buckle up as we revisit some of the hardest hits of the season in the below compilation.
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Top-5 hardest hits of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season
#5 Ryan Blaney's "hardest hit" at Nashville
The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion was part of a restart melee at Nashville Superspeedway. Ryan Blaney was caught up in a chain reaction and spun around by Kyle Busch. He slid through the grass and hit the pit exit wall without the SAFER barrier.
The front end of his #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang suffered heavy damage as it rammed into a wall without SAFER barriers. Blaney characterized the crash as the "hardest hit" of his career.
#4 Chase Elliott takes out Denny Hamlin at Charlotte
Chase Elliott's collision with Denny Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the lowest episode of his tumultuous NASCAR season. The old rivals were racing side by side when Hamlin slid high and forced Elliott into the outside wall.
The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver retaliated by hooking the right rear side of the Hamlin's #11 Toyota, sending him head-on into the barriers. Both drivers retired from the race, with the 2020 Cup champion earning himself a one-race suspension for his move.
#3 Ryan Blaney finds the wall at Daytona
The #12 Team Penske driver has had his fair share of hits en route to his maiden championship this season. His harrowing crash in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 takes the third spot on the list, as it was eerily similar to Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at the same corner.
Ryan Blaney was leading the pack to the green-white-checkered for the second stage when a bad-timed push sent Ty Gibbs into Blaney, who crashed into the SAFER barriers head-on, causing the 'big one' behind him.
#2 Ryan Preece T-bones Kyle Larson at Talladega
Ryan Preece's spine-chilling tango with Kyle Larson at Talladega Superspeedway is somewhat shadowed by his epic crash at Daytona.
With two laps to go for the GEICO 500, Larson was spun around and drifted into the grass in an uncontrolled manner. He slid back on the track only to find Preece's #41 Ford charging towards his #5 Chevy for a head-on collision.
The aftermath of the heavy impact forced NASCAR to improve the safety structures of the next-gen car.
#1 Ryan Preece goes airborne at Daytona
The #41 Stewart-Haas Racing driver's spectacular crash at Daytona tops the list as it will remembered by NASCAR fans for a long time to come. With five laps to go for the checkered flag, Ryan Preece's #41 Ford was forced into the grass as it went airborne, flipping over 10 times before coming to a halt.
Preece escaped any serious injuries and showed his grit by racing at Darlington the following week.
