NASCAR has been plagued by several spine-chilling car crashes across its 76-year journey. The most recent one was at the Daytona qualifier where Ryan Blaney’s Ford car was set ablaze. The most horrifying one in recent events was Ryan Preece’s near-fatal car flip in August 2023. His No. 41 Mustang barrel-rolled mid-air at least a dozen times after sliding onto a grass patch.

But with several safety measures in place, drivers can heave a sigh of relief after a major crash. These checks were non-existent in the old days, though. For instance, Bobby Allison’s accident at the 1987 Winston 500 race changed custom. His car turned sideways, and went airborne, eventually prompting NASCAR to introduce restrictor plates.

But accidents way back in 1960 must have been off the cuff. In a recently unearthed video from that bygone era, we see a hard-to-forget crash.

Tommy Irwin’s spine-chilling accident at Daytona

Nothing sets a more eerie ambiance than a long-forgotten video about a mishap faced by people long gone. NASCAR has been immortalized by races that have been happening since 1948. But the most interesting stories of this racing series probably stem from all the crashes where drivers cheated death or incurred severe injury.

Recently, a video was posted on YouTube about a 1960 crash. This five-piece 8mm film reel collection was last seen sometime in 1995. A NASCAR fan decided to have it converted into digital format after his late grandfather shot the original video 64 years ago. 

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The video briefly catches the moment when Tommy Irwin spun off the backstretch into Lake Lloyd with a big splash. It was the 100-mile qualifier for the Daytona 500 race. Irwin came out intact, but his 1959 Ford Thunderbird was not pulled out until two days later. Irwin competed in ninety-nine Sprint Cup Series events in 1958-1963. Although he never won a race, he finished his career-best 2nd place at Columbia Speedway in 1959.

Nascarman wrote while sharing the video on X: “Video from the stands of Tommy Irwin’s crash into Lake Lloyd in 1960 was posted on YouTube recently.” Following Irwin’s crash, a dirt embankment was installed around Lake Lloyd to prevent more crashes. But that was not an effective stopper.

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Lake Lloyd was thirsty for two more crashes

Before the 2.5-mile oval superspeedway was constructed, the Daytona 500 race took place on Florida beaches. Lake Lloyd was created in a 29-acre hole after dirt was taken for the racing surface. Besides drawing fish into its waters, Lloyd was also thirsty for race cars.

After Irwin’s crash, Bay Darnell spun his No. 66 Ford Galaxi into the lake at the ARCA 250 in 1964. The car was towed out and not too damaged. Ultimately, Darnell finished 15th in the main race.

The final crash came 30 years later in 1994 when Dave Stacy crashed in the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series Florida 200. He described his ordeal saying, “I got tapped from behind and the last thing I remember was getting turned around and then seeing a lot of ground and sky; ground and sky. I didn’t know I was in the lake. The crew came on the radio and told me where I was and then the water came in about up to my waist.”

After the third incident, the lake now has sturdy fencing and hosts swimming and fishing events.

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