Has A NASCAR Car Ever Hit The Pit Crew?

Pit crews for NASCAR drivers not only have one of the most important jobs for NASCAR teams, but they also work in one of the most difficult and dangerous parts of the race area. Unfortunately, NASCAR car drivers hit their own pit crew (as well as other drivers’ pit crews)  more often than one might think. In fact, the NASCAR pit road is often more dangerous than the race track in NASCAR races. Whether drivers fail to stop fast enough or lose control of the car, NASCAR drivers have frequently hit pit crew members over the past few decades. Described below are three moments at races where NASCAR drivers hit their pit crew or someone else’s crew.

2013 Coke Zero 400 Race at Daytona

One pit-crew member for NASCAR driver Carl Edwards did not have an accident-free day at the 2013 Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona. Edwards exited the pit box too quickly before his team was done working on the car, and the car ran over a pit-crew member’s foot. Luckily, the member didn’t suffer any significant injuries from the accident. However, accidents like these highlight just how dangerous it is to be a pit-crew member for NASCAR drivers.

2016 Windows 10 400 Race at Pocono

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski, after braking too late during the pit road, hit two of his pit-crew members during the 2016 Windows 10 400 race at Pocono. He overshot the designated area (his pit-stop box) and sent both crew members flying in the air. Luckily, both pit-crew members did not sustain any serious injuries from the incident and even finished their duties during the stop. Keselowski’s car did, however, lose a tire later on in the race on pit road, and the team received a fine. 

Keselowski has not had very good luck with being accident-prone; Keselowski’s car even ran into David Reutimann’s car while he exited his pit-stop box in a NASCAR race in Bristol in 2013. Though these men luckily avoided serious harm, the 2016 incident proved that NASCAR drivers are responsible for the safety of their crew as much as they are for themselves and other drivers.

2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

At the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race in November 2022, there was an almost fatal accident for a pit-crew member. One of Chris Buescher’s tire carriers was hit by another NASCAR driver, and the crew member was immediately hospitalized. Justin Edgell, the injured tire carrier, was thankfully released shortly after, still shaken but with no serious injuries. This accident, in particular, illustrates the dangerous nature of the pit road at NASCAR races, and other pit-crew members have been injured quite a lot.