7 NASCAR safety innovations born from terrifying crashes

Most of NASCAR’s safety innovations came after crashes that exposed fatal flaws. From Dale Earnhardt’s Daytona wreck in 2001 to Ryan Newman's blowovers, each incident forced changes to cars, tracks, and rescue procedures. The result is a much safer sport with no fatalities in 25 years, with quicker medical response.

The turning point was Earnhardt’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500. After a string of similar fatal injuries around that time, the incident led to a full-scale safety overhaul. NASCAR opened a research-and-development center, brought outside expertise, and mandated new gear and track protections. Two decades on, the Next Gen car and ongoing chassis tweaks are direct responses to incidents that prove the job is never finished.

Below are seven major safety innovations that were born after specific, often terrifying collisions.

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NASCAR safety innovations born from crashes

#7 Window nets (Richard Petty crash, 1970 Rebel 400)

William Byron's (24) pink window net at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Source: Imagn

Richard Petty’s 1970 crash at Darlington exposed how drivers’ arms and heads could be flung outside the cockpit. On Lap 176, his #43 car turned, and he dislocated his shoulder. Window nets have been mandated to keep drivers contained and reduce the risk of limb and head injuries since then.

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#6 Restrictor plates (Bobby Allison, 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega)

NASCAR officials installing a mandated restrictor plate before the 1988 Daytona 500. Source: Getty

A high-speed tire failure sent Bobby Allison’s car into the catch fence and injured fans. NASCAR introduced restrictor plates (later evolved into tapered spacers) at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega to cut top speeds and reduce the chance of cars going airborne.

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#5 Pit road speed limits (death of Mike Rich, 1990 Atlanta)

When an Elliott Racing tire changer was struck and killed on pit road during a Cup Series race at Atlanta International Raceway on November 18, 1990, NASCAR moved quickly to protect crews. Pit road speed limits were introduced to slow the cars in the pit lane and reduce the risk to crew members working over the wall.

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#4 Roof flaps (Rusty Wallace incidents, 1993)

Greg Biffle crashed during the NASCAR Cup Series 2009 Kansas Lottery 300. Source: Imagn

A series of crashes in 1993 showed cars lifting and flipping at high speed. Roof flaps were developed to deploy during spins and spoil the airflow that lifts a car, helping to keep it on the ground, greatly reducing airborne flips.

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#3 HANS devices & SAFER barriers (multiple fatalities, including Dale Earnhardt, 2000–2001)

Fans raise three fingers to salute the late Dale Earnhardt on Lap 3 of the 2021 Daytona 500. Source: Imagn

A wave of basilar skull fractures that cost the lives of multiple drivers, including Adam Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., led to two cornerstone changes. First was mandatory head-and-neck restraints (HANS), and the other was energy-absorbing SAFER barriers. Together, they cut fatal injuries by controlling head motion and reducing impact forces against walls.

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#2 Tapered spacer and aero changes after Ryan Newman (2020 Daytona)

NASCAR Cup Series officials hand out restrictor plates in the garage at Daytona. Source: Imagn

Ryan Newman’s violent Daytona crash in 2020 highlighted the hazards of high-speed pack racing. NASCAR trimmed down the aero/power package for plate-style racing (reducing horsepower to 510 via spacer size and aero tweaks) to lessen extreme drafting forces and the severity of superspeedway wrecks.

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#1 Next Gen crumple-zone fixes after Kurt Busch & Alex Bowman (2022)

NASCAR Cup Series teams prepare for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Source: Imagn

When relatively routine rear impacts produced concussion injuries, it exposed that the new, stiffer Next Gen chassis was transmitting too much force into the cockpit. After Kurt Busch announced his retirement due to one such incident, suppliers responded with targeted crumple-zone changes.

It had softer bumper struts, no braces, thinner tubing, engineered trigger points to control deformation, and stronger right-side door protection to limit intrusion. Those edits were aimed squarely at absorbing crash energy before it reaches the driver.

NASCAR’s lessons have also spread to ordinary road cars: better fuel cells, improved tire construction, padded seats, and modern crumple zones all have links back to what was learned on the track.