1987 Winston Western 500 - Pit Road Accident

[Nxtl68]

wish Riverside still existed.

[2002wings]

hey rigodbold....get your eyes checked! Thats a girl, not Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 4:23... if you pause it, you can see her earrings and her hair pulled up in the back of the cap pause it at 4:27 and you can see clearly shiny earrings in her right ear...don't think Senior would've stood for an ear bob on his baby boy!!!

[Video24Maker]

@2002wings Holy shit your right! lol That girl looks like a clone of the young Dale Jr. though.

[drfever99]

Whatever became of these injured crew members?

[rlgodbold]

Young Dale Earnhardt Jr. is at 4:23. Thats him in the red shirt. Wasn't 87 the year they started pit road speed limits or had that not happend yet?

[m12shooter]

I don't think so, that is a shot of the fans in the grandstands, also he normally was dressed in Goodwrench clothing in the pits.

[bettendorfcheergirl]

It happend a little before

[battalionmedia]

@rlgodbold Pit road speed limit was started in 1991 after a crew member was killed in the last race of 1990

[tranurse]

@rlgodbold it wasn't until after bill elliott's tire changer got killed at atlanta in 1990

[britprik]

@rlgodbold It's not Jr. She's a girl. Oh, wait, you're right!!!

[racefan32]

@rlgodbold 1991 they brought in an alternating Odd even pit stop with a speed limit, but a year later brought in the Speed limit. we see now.

[AngerIsOurGift]

@rlgodbold - Pit road speed limits started in 1991 I believe, the season after pit crew members were killed at Atlanta when Dale won his fourth championship.

[MrSwannyboy]

@rlgodbold i thought it was 91

[1969stever]

@rlgodbold thats a lil girl. not Dale jr. see the ear rings and the tucked undeer hat hair!!

[PhilipTheBigOne]

@rlgodbold: Well there was no limit in 1990 (when Mike Rich, member of Bill Elliott's team, died in a pit road incident)... I think pit road speed limit was implied midway through the 1991 season.

[tonip420]

it was an elliott crew member who was killed a couple years later in atlanta....bud luck for those guys.....

[fly5155]

I may be wrong, but it seems coincidental that this pitroad incident involved Michael Waltrip spinning, and a car hitting crew members. I know Days of Thunder redid a lot of NASCAR moments but this makes me wonder if this was one they redid for the movie when Cole spins and hits the pitroad wall.

[AaronApolloCamp]

The scene where Cole spins and hits the pitroad wall was never supposed to be in the movie...the stunt driver screwed up, and the producers decided to incorporate the mistake into the movie.

[wawwwaaa]

gotta love hershel...60 w/ a broken leg

[malcolmyoungi]

he gave dedication a new meaning

[Papoose888]

if you listen closely it says broken light, but if he had a broken leg im sure hed still drive it

[wolves16]

I just saw a clip about the pit road accident at Atlanta in 1990, and it said that the crew memebers injured that day, were the replacements from this accident. Eerie.

[TheUBFunkeys]

but he died

[weavenascar21]

Yes, they were the replacements. My 2nd cousin is Chuck Hill and the man that replaced him was killed at Atlanta in 1990 changing tires. I appreciate the person that posted this video.

[weavenascar21]

Chuck is now building engines for Ernie Elliott. They were building engines for James Finch. I tried to call Chuck today to see if they were helping with Finch now, since they won the race yesterday. I don't think they are. I saw another cousin last week, Gerald "Bug" Swafford, at a family funeral. He was the driver of the Nascar Hauler for Bill Elliott and cleaned windshields on pit stops. He was at this race. We got the call not long after it happened from Chuck's mom.

[beanboy89]

Bill Elliott had bad luck with pit crews. This incident and then in Atlanta 1990...

[Troggle84]

Definitely. I think it said that at least one of the crew members was in critical condition as a result of the incident. The book stated that someone spun into the crewmembers (I think it mentioned the #78 of Jim Robinson, but I'm not sure).

[braves15]

I think Robinson hit Michael Waltrip and the hit caused Michael to spin into the crew.