Have you ever wondered which NASCAR tracks have the most wrecks? Well, someone smarter than me has a formula to figure it out. With short track season upon us, it is interesting to think about what tracks cause the most wrecks. Or, which are the most accident-prone in general. Sometimes, it’s a track thing. Other times, it’s a racing thing that causes wrecks.
It’s hard to measure what makes a course more “dangerous” or what causes crashes. However, someone did the work over at Building Speed. Through all kinds of variables and things, they came up with what they are calling the DLP Danger Index. The results may not surprise you all too much.
The top-10 results of the Danger Index are below.
- Daytona 8.91
- Charlotte Roval* 7.65
- Bristol 6.38
- Talladega 4.58
- Indianapolis 4.35
- Martinsville 3.41
- Kansas 2.40
- New Hampshire 2.12
- Phoenix 2.11
- Charlotte 1.82
When it comes to the most dangerous track, at least between 2017 and 2019, there are big names. First of all, Daytona gets the top spot. Their index rating was the highest at 8.91. Second place was the Charlotte Roval, however, there was not a lot of data used in the calculations. So, that has an asterisk next to it. Representing the short tracks, Bristol has a rating of 6.38.
After Bristol, Talladega, Indianapolis, and Martinsville are next. All the way at the bottom, outside of the top-10, are Atlanta and Chicagoland. While those numbers haven’t been updated since 2019, it is interesting to have this information. The index changes at times and it really just depends on so many factors.
NASCAR races are all about taking advantage of others’ mistakes, putting a solid car out on the track, and getting around those laps as quickly as possible. Some tracks have aggressive races due to the nature of the track. Other times, drivers themselves get aggressive, wanting to make big moves at key moments.
NASCAR tracks are all unique in their own way and wrecks are a natural part of it.
NASCAR Hopes Wrecks Stay Away in Richmond
This weekend is the beginning of the short track season in NASCAR and while other tracks have had wrecks and issues this season, hopefully, Richmond is different. On the danger index, Richmond sits in the middle of the pack. So, it could go either way tomorrow evening.
The Xfinity Series race went well. Ty Gibbs was the winner in that one. Hopefully, a Toyota can find a way to win at the Toyota Owners 400. This season, the manufacturer has not had a Next Gen win. The Cup Series is a tough league and with these new cars, Toyota is hoping to take a win or two.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. Richmond is one of the most fun tracks on the schedule. It has hosted a number of great races. Let’s hope we get another one of those this weekend.