2001 IRL Atlanta huge crash

[RuneMacer55]

thats why irl doesn't belong on Ovals! there to damn fast!!!! you don't see f1 on ovals do you!!!

[24NascarManiac]

@RuneMacer55 Look what happened to Dan Wheldon months ago..

[bobalose3and88]

CASEY mears???

[RuneMacer55]

@bobalose3and88 yeah he had a run in other series

[TOPGUNCANADA00]

gezz this is as bad or almost worst than what happened in vegas to dan weldon add a roll cage for the drivers pleaseeee can't see how it would take away from the car or racing

[IGOTITONTAPE19]

hate to say it but im shocked no one died... almost exactly like the vegas crash...

[DesotellRacing62]

@IGOTITONTAPE19 my thoughts exactly 

[thepspman116]

when i saw that vegas crash it reminded me of this crash

[nascargavin8]

when i saw wheldon's crash.. this was the first thing that came to my mind.

[mohawkman251988]

@nascargavin8 Same here man. Except the crash at Vegas had 15 cars and a 34 car field which I think is just wrong. I personally think the organization is at fault for his death.

[Boneychuck]

Bodywork in closed stands, not tire...

[dylanzz1]

it reminds me of the charlotte crash in IRL i was there big crash and some fans didnt survive sadly:-(

[jbracer86]

You think the Indycar Series would have leanred after this crash. When I was at the race in Vegas yesterday, this accident in 2001 is what came to mind after the accident I witnessed yesterday. Indycar dodged so many bullets with the product of racing that the Dalarra spec cars produce on the 1.5 mile ovals and their luck ran horribly out yesterday.

[jaked812812]

when i saw today's wreck at las vegas (RIP Dan Wheldon), it reminded me of this exact wreck, very very similar, it had innocent victims, a lot of carnage, flying cars, and massive fireballs

[ballplayer1799]

@jaked812812 Yeah

[NascarFreak3]

This is just how Dan Wheldon's crash went today... unfortunately, he didn't make it out alive. R.I.P. Dan Wheldon 1978-2011...

[ballplayer1799]

@NascarFreak3 yep :(

[jazzbo1974]

Yes it is @mrhartfordHockey,,,

[NBAfanDallas1]

Were they all ok?

[MegaHarvickFan29]

Casey Mears went airborn, what a shocker

[Frigus5]

@MegaHarvickFan29 Has Casey had success in anything he's driven in? I mean, seriously. Like, one win on fuel mileage. What Hendrick saw in him (or Ganassi for that matter) I will never know.

[thetexasplayboys]

i actually saw this live. this and Kenny Brack at texas were scaries accidents i ever saw.

[mat2000100]

6 people got involved in this crash

[Hanjin13]

w00t

you can see a little piece of a car, is that a cockpit ?

[urmo345]

Never seen that crash...it is huge!

[misfitzmotorsports]

@1dekra1- there is so much more to circle track driving than 99% of the population will ever know. the argument of road racers vs. circle track racers is a moot point because they are two vastly different disciplines. i have done both for many years and have just found my niche driving sprint cars. wish i could go to more road races and drive like i did years ago though. this is just my two cents and it is coming from a driver with almost 20 years of experience.

[1dekra1]

NASCAR or IndyCar driver cant say that his as good as F1 driver coz its not hard to drvie a fucking circle whats the point in this just watching and waiting when somebody crashes.

[GreyBull88]

@1dekra1 Dude, nevermind of the old and counterproductive "road vs oval" argument. But IndyCar has more road courses than ovals nowadays. And many of their road courses are as challenging as F1's best known tracks, if not more - have you ever heard about Sonoma, Barber or Mid-Ohio?

[setoguchifan16]

IRL's version of The Big One!

[33kalam]

the big one!!!

[nr2002vidz]

isnt it called izod now?

[CookieDude1178999]

@nr2002vidz That's just the sponsor, like how Sprint Communications is the sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series.

[nr2002vidz]

@CookieDude1178999 wasnt IRL the old sponsor though?

[mppy938]

@nr2002vidz no..Irl was the name of the series. IRL = Indy Racing League. After the merger with Champcar in 2008, the name was changed to just the Indycar Series, and now it is the Izod Indycar Series.

[CookieDude1178999]

@mppy938 No, what happened was that CART sued the IRL to prevent them from using the Indy Car name. The IRL made a counterclaim, and they settled it out side of court agreeing that the IRL could use Indy Car after the 2002 season finished. Btw, the IRL is the sanctioning body, with the Indy Car Series being it's top series.

[mppy938]

@CookieDude1178999 ah my mistake.

[MassillonJoe]

@nr2002vidz thats the sponsor of the series, like sprint is to nascar

[ochentin]

Fue terrible ese accidente, parece que fueron 8 los involucrados, vi autos en el aire e incendiandose.

Parece que Buddy Lazier o Sam Hormish Jr ganó la carrera, y Eliseo Salazar termino 8°

[jrfan07]

good thing there wasnt any fans in that section of the grandstands with that tire flying in there like that.

[MurphyMonster]

@jrfan07 No, its more like "Thank god nobody cares about Indycar!"

[Nocstaa]

I remember being 10 years old & being at this race.  I remember getting really bored during this particular caution because it was like 55 laps lol.

Sam Hornish Jr. won that night.

[Kenster236]

I see why IRL dosen't race at Atlanta anymore

[MrHartfordHockey]

At 1:21 -1:25 is that a tire in the stands

[PEPSIRACING2488]

@MrHartfordHockey that is a tire in the stands

[LKRacing13K]

@MrHartfordHockey yes thats the same thing that killed people at Lowes motor speedway the same year.

[PYLrulz1984]

@LKRacing13K

And imagine if that crash happened a little further along on the track. Would of been Charlotte Part 2

[Reese6485]

@MrHartfordHockey yes



[kingofrunescapepking]

who is upside down?

[kingofrunescapepking]

makes sense

[Montoya42Fan]

I never knew he raced in IRL. His father was an IRL racer.

[kingofrunescapepking]

yeah he ran only a handful of races before moving up to the busch series in 2002

[Montoya42Fan]

yes he rode part time

[MrHartfordHockey]

he quit like a couple races after then he started NASCAR next year

[patriot41000]

His father is Rick Mears brother. Rick is Casey's Uncle and he NEVER raced in the IRL. He drove in CART claiming 4 Indianapolis 500's and was lucky to retire before the disastrous 15 year war that left it all in smoldering ruin, breaking forever the bloodlines that once kept the sport alive and thriving. Casey Mears went to NASCAR so he could have a career in Racing. Gordon, Stewart, Irwin, Newman, Mears. IndyCar would be a different story today if it had those guys. But, nooope.

[BSNFabricating]

@patriot41000

Jeff Gordon went to NASCAR before the IRL was even started. He had wanted to race Indy cars, but the CART teams wouldn't give him the time of day because he didn't have sponsorship money to bring along...

Other than that, I agree that IndyCar racing would be a lot better off with drivers like the ones you mentioned. Not to discount the top drivers now, but there need to be more American drivers. That would do a lot to attract more fans.

[Keselowski88]

lol, Casey Mears in IRL

[lemans24fan]

he only made 2 or 3 starts in the irl.

[Brotherwolf]

What a nightmare for the safety crew, where do you start?

[walterachmedpeanut]

WOW HUGE crash

[dolphinmagic24fan]

lol Casey Mears, he failed in IRL too

[drw61984]

What you mean he failed. He is making more money then you ever will, and he is doing what he loves.

[quasiphatpaul]

yeah and he failed while making more money that I ever will and doing what he loves.

[AJ1964]

You should say since Indy 1999.

[AJ1964]

The good, great days if the early IRL.

[drumkid67]

This wreck actually killed some in the crowd.

That's why IRL no longer races at Atlanta

[fanofkasey]

No it didn't the seat in which debris flew up and into were empty.

[drumkid67]

There was debris that flew into the crowd.

I read in a book that fans were killed in this wreck.

[fanofkasey]

But no one died in this wreck, if you watch video, there is debris that flies up into the grandstands, but that those grandstands are empty

[drumkid67]

No, that was my fault.

sorry.

I was thinking of Charlotte.

IRL no longer races there, because of debris going into the seats.

Sorry.

[fanofkasey]

It's ok, both tracks look similar

[loudamerican1]

holy crap, watch at 1:22 theres something that flys into the crowd, dont know what it is but its black.

[therrydicule]

Holy shit...That a fucking tire, that why it bounce back.

This is why they try to build higher wire fence, but... Crap.

[grimreaper2001]

I like Bob Jenkins he is better then DW and fucking Larry Mac and that other guy. The announcers for Nascar bore the shit out of me. Also I know some jackass is going to say. "well Nascar is boring they are just turning left" Look, I don't give a fuck what you think and Nascar fans don't either. So please save your self some time and just don't bother saying it. lol Now I just wasted my time lol thanks

[jjussttinn]

Very big crash!

[CharlesMSchulz]

the track announcer at Indy is Dave Colabro, WTHR Sports anchor

[pesisbest]

where do you get this game

[sanfranciscobay]

As Bart Simpson would say:

"You're dammed if you do, and you're dammed if you don't".

In other words, when you drive through a dynamic debris field which is moving faster than you can react too, your certainty of hitting something or missing something is uncertain.

[UltimateEEnEFan]

Good lord.

[pieman5ooo]

my cosen was up frount were crash was he couldent hear right for a few mounths.

[Nocstaa]

lol I was at this race. I was like 9 screaming "WOAH! WTF????"

[youzzernayme]

I think he's taken over as PA announcer at Indy for Tom Carnagie,Not sure Though!

[joyrod11]

does anyone know if the commentator who takes over talking at the very beginning was a NASCAR commentator from maybe the mid 90's? cuz ik I've heard him somewhere, he sounds very familiar.

[Stealthcola]

Bob Jenkins

[davefs25]

Did u see that wheel come off. Landed right in the middle of the stands.

I guess those steel cables that keep the wheels on the cars weren't around yet

[ronaldo131415]

hey little diddle da cat had a fiddle da cow did a fece

[Vincentharley8]

isnt this when davey hamilton nearly got killed

[gp3runescape]

i think so

[iRacerMatt]

no that was at Texas

[EddieMRacer86]

I like those onboard cameras from those years of IRL, dont like the new dallara's on board though.

[Nxtl68]

What makes you think NASCAR doesn't take safety seriously? They modified the walls at their tracks with the SAFER barrier, mandated HANS devices, and changed the entire look of their car to keep the drivers safe. Of course all of this came after Earnhardt died, but look at Michael Mcdowell's wreck at Texas. If that was in NASCAR's old car, he would of been dead.

[AtomicMutant]

Safer Barriers were largely an IRL innovation and HANS devices were mandated and developed through Champcar. NASCAR needs to get on the ball when it comes to a traveling safety team like CC had, or F1 has. The COT is definitely a step in the right direction though, and I'd much rather be in an oval wreck in a COT than a IRL Dallara.

[Nxtl68]

I'll agree with you on the traveling safety teams. Every national racing league needs one of those, but with the economic situation idk if NASCAR is going to take on any more financial responsibility

[corsterthegreat]

but i'd still rather be in a CART lola than a COT anyday.

[AtomicMutant]

Absolutely. Lola was a good Chassis for CC. Same with the Reynard. Gorgous, fast, great looking, god on ovals and road courses. Yup, those were indeed the good old days. Now we have "this" .. urgh.

[Bazmeister2]

OT: Did you know that many NASCAR drivers were against wearing a HANS device?

It wasn't until Dale Earnhardt died that NASCAR mandated the HANS the following season.

[jazzmonkey87]

maybe the question should be, would that crash have happened in the old car? NASCAR owes alot of their safety tech to F-1 and IRL/CART. I've been worried about the big wrecks in NASCAR where rear end differentials, tires and radiators go flying into the air, potentially being a deadly hazard to spectators

[CASEYMEARS5]

dum ass CASEY IS NOT RETIRED U FUCKER

[itsalleternal]

Retired from the IRL.

[sillypantsochasy]

no he still races

[gmjssc]

I can't even count how many tire are bouncing along the ground.

[dalejrgamer]

Yea...tell Paul Dana that.

O WATE

[p1a9u8l8]

lol there is like no one in the stands.

[DavidSkywalker01]

It was very lucky there was no one in the stands there was all kinds of debris in the stands.

[penske369]

haha guys, this is quite funny. Having a NASCAR argument on an IndyCar video. lol. HICKCAR? that sounds like an IndyCar fan to me. I am am IndyCar fan, but still follow and enjoy NASCAR. I still would be a pure NASCAR fan, but when Earnhardt died, it turned me off a little. Hendrick in IndyCar lol

[toiletsrus]

the crappy joke of "racing" didn't turn you off first?

I was a NASCAR fan when i was like 8... when i was too young to realize how pathetic it was.

[MyPosinRomance]

I was at that race. I got in free cuz Jeret Schroeder is my uncle. I swear to god..he acculy is. My dad also used to be the manager of his pit crew...I could get into ay race I wanted to 4 free.

[cbatiste]

i believe you

[miniginger88]

i was at that race. worst indycar wreck i have ever seen. took over two hours to clean up. i was gald no one was hurt. if u watch closly, casey mears back tire is spinning on the driver's helmet.

[indyracefan]

I was in the first set of grandstands after the accident, the cars were still flaming as they went by. Scary accident, a testament to the safety of the cars even then. I attended the last couple of IndyCar races at Atlanta, they were some great races though almost no-one who lived there would know.

[DaleJr88Amped]

if there where ppl in the turn 4 stands

man.

[hootowl2112]

looks like the poor attendance was a blessing in disguise. At the end you see a tire or some other sort of large debris land in the grandstands.  That could've hurt someone had there been people sitting there!

[jello0075]

notice how fast the safety truck is, before the cars are even stopped. thats something Nascar could learn from.

[anthonystuart69]

that's something nascar has learned from, especially at atlanta, which has a lot of spots for safety vehicles to enter the track quickly

[33kalam]

this is the only crash in irl history that a crash is involved more than 10 cars

[llamalord64]

lol. these commentators are so boring.

[southernracer41]

lol, look how empty the stands are!

[keeler101n02]

Maybe it was just practace?

[southernracer41]

nah, when it says "lap 53", that kinda indicated a race

[keeler101n02]

Yeah your right

[dfrids]

Atlanta always has crappy attendance. The place was built to hold more fans than are willing to go in that area. They struggle to sell tickets to their NASCAR races, let alone Indy. Needless to say, they don't race there anymore.

[Randildo]

not only that but atlanta has the WORST traffic system of all the tracks and that keeps people away

[ckankel]

Yeah, I was at that race. I remember they were so desperate to sell tickets they had a deal for 4 grandstand tickets, programs, hats, and post-race garage passes for $80. It was a sweet deal and it was also the only time I was ever able to park in the asphalt parking lot right next to the grandstands.

[wisp666]

What the hell is "barely no serious injuries??????" It's kind of a binary state: either there were, or there weren't. Talking asses rather than talking heads...

[dalejrgamer]

Casey wants the same thing IRL drivers want: exposure. Even with Danica Patrick, the only race that will get the highest overnight TV ratings is the Indy 500.

Casey IS successful in NASCAR. It's just that he's running in crap equipment.

[cbatiste]

casey has had some bad breaks. went upside down at tally in 05 and almost flipped at tally in 07. but overall he is a pretty good driver.

[kingofrunescapepking]

cali like the week after u posted this 2 lol

[InvisibleTeeth]

Yup. That Hendrick equipment sure is terrible. It's amazing Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have won championships in it.

[rocknroler69]

are you series? hendrick is nascar

[InvisibleTeeth]

huh? Unfortunately Hendrick is a festering cancer in NASCAR but hardly IS NASCAR.

[toiletsrus]

why are we talking about HICKCAR?

[InvisibleTeeth]

HICKCAR? While I generally can't stand most people from the south...like none of the drivers are actually from the south anymore. Theyre all from California or up north.

[toiletsrus]

Your point? Don't have to be from the south to be a stupid redneck with horrible taste in racing. Though I'm not sure what drivers have to do with anything anyway. I hate the tintops but I would still drive in NASCAR if I had the chance. It's where the money is. Doesn't change the fact that it's a joke of a "racing" series though.

[rubberbanman2]

Meh, thats just a typical comment from an irl fan that cant dish up any more shit about nascar. Nascar is not a redneck sport anymore, and its growing bitch.

[toiletsrus]

meh, thats just a typical comment from a NASCAR fan who knows his sport is crap and can only comeback by pointing out how stupid Americans are when it comes to auto racing.

and sorry but even though not all NASCAR fans are rednecks, the majority still are. thus, it's a redneck sport.

[maxpotter12]

A redneck is defined as slang for a poor, white southerner, NASCAR is broadcasted in over 150 countries. Your comment makes no sense.

[JoshuaJohnKnight]

I watch NASCAR and IndyCar's live in the UK. I like them both. beats F1

[originalbramdanbob]

well said our kid. I agree. IndyCar rules.

[JVhapu]

@JoshuaJohnKnight I didnt know you can get narcar and indy on TV in UK

[chubbz5150ify]

@JoshuaJohnKnight how can u say nascar nd indycar is better then f1 all these people do is drive in a circle turnin left. put any one of them in an f1 car nd they would do shit. FACT

[JoshuaJohnKnight]

@chubbz5150ify Indycar's race on more F1 like tracks than oval tracks. If you want to watch Bernie's league play follow the leader so be it. Indycar's is the most deserve racing league in the world. As for NASCAR you get no holds barred racing

[ROBLOXdude95]

@JoshuaJohnKnight That is stinking true. I watch Indycar and NASCAR and some ARCA when I get the chance.

[Quintinohthree]

@chubbz5150ify

I don't know what you're talking about but put Will Power in a McLaren or Ferrari and he's a title contender. By the way, Put Jenson Button in a seat for the 500 and he'd end up around Milka Duno. And no, she's not one of the fast drivers.

[speedfreack123]

@JoshuaJohnKnight yeah bunch of idiots driving in circle for 50+ laps totaly beats F1.

[JoshuaJohnKnight]

@speedfreack123 Yeah circle tracks, they dont run on circle tracks. But if you want to watch 4 cars contesting for the win then giving up on lap 2 because they cant follow 'in the dirty air' the car in front of them.

Idiots. Yeah Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya where all successful in F)follow the leader)1

[penske13]

@speedfreack123 stick it in yer ass buddy. we wouldn't care what it was as long as it wasn't f1.

[motercyclegarbage]

@JoshuaJohnKnight i agree F1 sucks

[ericknava86]

@JoshuaJohnKnight you must be one of the few in the stands on this race then?

[LaughingGhost88]

@JoshuaJohnKnight hey bud I don't watch either one, but what's the difference between F1 and Indy car. I'm a huge NASCAR fan, but other than the dirt tracks here in Arkansas i don't get into nothing else much. thanks man.

[toiletsrus]

Big deal. You obviously know nothing about the television industry. Even Irish Hurling is broadcasted in a ton of countries. Doesn't mean anyone besides the Irish give a shit.

[Cynon44]

Is it ironic that some individual NASCAR races have more passes for the lead than some entire seasons of F1?

[mdbudreau]

maybe you need to research before you make comments. Hendrick is a power house in nascar. how could they have won almost half the races and got 1 & 2 in the championship last year?

[InvisibleTeeth]

I see someone doesn't understand the concept of sarcasm.

[e521soediv]

fuck hendrick

[SeanHarbin]

Crap equipment?? I guess Hendricks is crap now??

[dalejrgamer]

Well, now that I think about it, the 5 car has decent equipment now. It just that Casey sucks as a driver.

[Michyfog]

it's like apocalypse

[liverpoolking101]

Blody hell!

[jalapenogood]

i can't belive that cesey mears races nascar now

[cookieboy17]

oh cool casey mears in in this... dammit, he's in the wreck

[dxarmy94]

casey mears isant retired

[madisondanton]

I think the davey crashed at texas that almost killed him.

[Randildo]

didnt this wreck end davey hailtons career?

[Cynon44]

That's why people have said Nascar drivers are best equipped to run marathons in the desert. Ooookay.

[jrfan07]

omg its you again with your little spamming comments, grow up, and that message you sent me a few days ago was pointless...yes indy car is good but its all personal opinion and i think everyone knows your opinion so please stop you little rascal you:P

[Brooney1]

i was there when it happend, there was just silence everywhere

[nintendoboy90091]

this was at old atlanta track right?

[SeanHarbin]

no, 1997 the reconfigured the track.

[AlonsoLegend]

Well, we each have our own opinion. Champ Car being circuit racing and IRL being oval racing means there will always be a divide between a lot of fans of these two sports. However, the drivers from both command respect purely because they are professional racing drivers.

[mattloque]

I don't think so... CC uses real race tracks instead of just driving in circles.

IRL and NASCAR are the most farcical championships ever invented.

LOL.

[carneyfex]

And NASCAR uses real cars instead of travesties on four wheels, so what's your point? Saying that ovals are not real race tracks just because they require a different set of skills is stupid. Both road and oval racing have their pros and cons.

[franticfury]

I remember watching this crash live...took them about 50 laps to clean it up...they did not throw out the red flag.

[redman147]

Al Unser Jr still races as far as I know.

[AlonsoLegend]

Champ Car>IRL but the drivers in both still command a lot of respect

[XanderZoneinc]

kasey mears drives nascar as well

[Nascar93fan]

0:48, who is that? sarah fisher?

[jedda123]

IRL is awesome... it owns champ car

[orioles001]

Yeah! IRL is the greatest racing ever!!!!!!

[lukeCART1]

irl sucks. Tony George is a loser so much for a all oval series. Go over to nascar and screw that up instead.

[NialoF1]

Saw a big piece of debris landing in the empty grandstand, lucky noone was there