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The Big One (motorsport)

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The Big One is a phrase describing any crash usually involving five or more cars in NASCAR, ARCA, and IndyCar racing. It is most commonly used at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, although occasionally seen at other tracks as well, such as Dover Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.

Coining the phrase

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Typical three-wide pack during the 2021 Daytona 500.
Five-wide pack at Talladega Superspeedway during the 2019 GEICO 500.

Until the 2000s, massive crashes were referred to as "major"[1][2][3] or "terrific"[4] crashes.

By the mid-1990s, competitors and media began taking note of the multi-car wrecks at Daytona and Talladega. In 1997, Dale Earnhardt described a final-lap crash at the 1997 Pepsi 400 as "the Big Wreck".[5] News articles began using the term "Big Wreck" to describe such crashes in 1998,[6] and by 1999, its use was widespread. Drivers began to openly admit they were apprehensive of its possibility.[7]

One of the first times the term "The Big One" was used on-air was during the Winston 500 on ESPN October 11, 1998. Commentator Bob Jenkins said during the crash on lap 134 "This is the big one that we had hoped we would not have."[8] One of the first published instances of the term "The Big One," was an April 18, 2000, article on ESPN.com about a crash in the DieHard 500.[9] The term was also being used informally by fans on message boards.

During the 2001 Daytona 500, Fox commentator Darrell Waltrip used the term on-air to describe an 18-car crash in the backstretch on lap 173, as saying "It's the big one, gang, it's the big one. It's what we've all been fearing in this kind of racing is going to happen."[10]

By 2001, the phrase was widely used by competitors, fans, and in print and broadcast media.[11] It soon became standard NASCAR vernacular, and it became a retronym to describe past such accidents as well.[12][13]

The Big One has been the subject of criticism of NASCAR.[13] Some have complained that the sanctioning body, promoters and media have celebrated the crashes.[13]

By 2009, Talladega Superspeedway marketed itself on the notorious crashes, with hot dogs, and later meatballs billed as "The Big One," with activities on Friday night after on-track action concludes billed as "The Big One on Talladega Boulevard".[14]

Examples

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NASCAR Cup Series

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Xfinity Series

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

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IndyCar Series

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  • 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship:
    • On lap 11, Wade Cunningham clipped James Hinchcliffe and then made contact with J. R. Hildebrand,[51] initiating a 15-vehicle collision that killed Dan Wheldon and seriously injured Hildebrand, Pippa Mann, and Will Power.[52] Wheldon was racing at 220 mph (350 km/h) and struck Charlie Kimball while trying to avoid the collision, sending his car airborne. It flew a distance of about 325 ft (99 m) and hit the catch fence cockpit first before landing back on the racing surface and coming to a stop near the SAFER barrier.[53]
  • 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600:
    • After a series of incidents with both the INDYCAR (part of the race was run on one day, then the other half a few months later, largely due to a combination of rain, weepers, and a day-one crash between Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden that injured the latter) and NASCAR (rain and weepers) in 2016, Texas Motor Speedway officials repaved and reconfigured the circuit to reduce weeper issues. On lap 152, Tony Kanaan made contact with James Hinchcliffe, triggering a major collision that forced seven other drivers to leave the race.[54] During the ensuing red flag that followed, INDYCAR officials and Bridgestone engineers agreed to use competition cautions and mandatory tire changes for the remainder of the race in response to continuing issues with blistering tires from the repaved circuit. Kanaan was assessed a 20-second hold penalty for his role in the crash.[55]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ESPN SpeedWorld – 1989 Winston 500, May 7, 1989,
  2. ^ CBS Sports – 1992 Daytona 500, February 16, 1992,
  3. ^ NASCAR on ABC- 1998 DieHard 500 telecast, 4/26/98
  4. ^ ESPN SpeedWorld – 1990 Pepsi 400, July 7, 1990,
  5. ^ "One-lap restart irks Pepsi drivers". The Augusta Chronicle Online. July 6, 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  6. ^ "Jarrett Outruns Crashes and Gordon". The New York Times. October 12, 1998. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  7. ^ "Engines Start For Winston 500". CBSNews.com. October 14, 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  8. ^ 1998 NWC Winston 500. BigRocky26. YouTube. October 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Gordon ends drought with Talladega triumph". ESPN.com. April 18, 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  10. ^ 2001 Daytona 500 (February 18th, 2001) (Dale Earnhardt's final race, with commercials). Scott Allen Brown's Mashup Museum. YouTube. August 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Lipsyte, Robert (July 9, 2001). "'The Call' Is Answered in Earnhardt's Pepsi 400 Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  12. ^ "Matt Hagans comments on Talladega accident". Motorsport.com. October 6, 2005. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  13. ^ a b c "The 'Big One' signals need for big change". Yahoo! Sports. April 27, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  14. ^ "Coming To Talladega Superspeedway: "The Big One"". Talladega Superspeedway. April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  15. ^ 2001 Daytona 500 Big One. YouTube. June 18, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  16. ^ 2002 Daytona 500 – The Big One (Live and Extended). YouTube. November 27, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  17. ^ "2002 Aaron's 499 Big One". Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  18. ^ 2002 Daytona 500 – The Big One (Live and Extended). NASCAR. YouTube. November 27, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  19. ^ "2005 Aaron's 499 - The Big One". Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  20. ^ "Matt Kenseth avoids 25-car pileup to win at Talladega – ESPN". ESPN. October 9, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  21. ^ Final Laps: Kenseth wins as field wrecks behind. NASCAR. YouTube. October 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  22. ^ Post-Race Reactions: Good Sam 500. NASCAR. YouTube. October 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  23. ^ "Junior out with concussion". NASCAR. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  24. ^ Matt Kenseth Starts Huge Wreck in Segment 2 – Sprint Unlimited – 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fox Sports. YouTube. February 15, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  25. ^ Dillon walks away from scary wreck. NASCAR. YouTube. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  26. ^ Race Rewind: Talladega in 15 minutes. NASCAR. YouTube. May 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  27. ^ Hembree, Mike (May 15, 2016). "Jimmie Johnson triggers Big One at Dover when gear shift fails". USA Today. Dover, Delaware: Gannett Company. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  28. ^ Pistone, Pete (May 15, 2016). "Huge Crash Red Flags Dover". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "02/26/2017 race: Daytona 500 (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  30. ^ "'The Big One:' 16 NASCAR drivers involved in crash at Talladega". May 7, 2017.
  31. ^ "The Big One Strikes Late | 2017 TALLADEGA | NASCAR on FOX". Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  32. ^ "Talladega update: 'Big One' collects playoff drivers in 'Dega | NASCAR.com". Official Site Of NASCAR. October 15, 2017.
  33. ^ a b c "02/18/2018 race: Daytona 500 (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  34. ^ "Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series- Full Race -Coke Zero Sugar 400" – via www.youtube.com.
  35. ^ a b "07/07/2018 race: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  36. ^ "09/30/2018 race: Bank of America Roval 400 (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  37. ^ "Wacky qualifying evokes colorful driver opinions". July 4, 2014.
  38. ^ "2019 Daytona 500: Late wreck causes massive pile-up with less than 10 laps to go". CBSSports.com. February 17, 2019.
  39. ^ "'Big One' rears its head late in Daytona 500 knocking Keselowski, Johnson out". nascar.com. February 17, 2020.
  40. ^ "1999 NBS Touchstone Energy 300 [7/10] (3rd Caution/THE BIG ONE)". Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  41. ^ "Keller escapes accident to win Aaron's 312 race". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014.
  42. ^ 2002 Aaron's 312 30 Car Wreck at Talladega. NASCAR. YouTube. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  43. ^ Huge wreck in Nationwide Series race at Talladega. NASCAR. YouTube. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  44. ^ Final Laps: Buescher survives final lap mayhem. NASCAR. YouTube. February 25, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  45. ^ 2013 Drive4COPD Nationwide Kyle Larson crashes into fence. NASCAR. YouTube. February 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  46. ^ "Daytona Nationwide crash: 28 fans injured; Daytona 500 will go on as scheduled". AOL.SportingNews.com. February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  47. ^ "'The Big One' doesn't escape Xfinity race, huge pileup in overtime". Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  48. ^ "07/06/2018 race: Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (NXS) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  49. ^ a b "07/05/2019 race: Circle K Firecracker 250 (NXS) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  50. ^ "2022 Beef It's What's For Dinner 300". racing-reference.info. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  51. ^ Bradley, Charles (October 16, 2011). "IndyCar finale red-flagged after 13-car accident". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  52. ^ "Dan Wheldon dies in huge crash at IndyCar finale". USA Today. David Hunke; Gannett Company. Associated Press. October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  53. ^ Oreovicz, John (October 17, 2011). "Dan Wheldon's death stuns racing world". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  54. ^ Barnes, Joey (June 11, 2017). "Texas 'big one' roughs up cars, feelings". IndyCar.com. Fort Worth, Texas: Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  55. ^ Manchota, Jon (June 10, 2017). "Will Power wins crash-filled IndyCar race at TMS; pack racing leads to controversy, harsh words". The Dallas Morning News. Fort Worth, Texas: A. H. Belo. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  56. ^ Miller, Robin. "Newgarden sparks massive opening lap crash at Barber". Racer.com. Racer Media. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
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