Nasty NASCAR Crash on Final Lap at Daytona Injures Spectators

Just before the finish line of Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Larson’s #32 car catapulted into the track’s safety netting. The multiple-car accident on the final lap of the Drive4COPD 300 injured 28 people in the grandstand, 14 taken to hospitals.

AP Photo/Terry Renna

Here’s the video of the Nationwide Series crash, which came one day before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500:

And video from the stands (warning: a tad graphic): YouTube acted quickly to block this fan-shot video, claiming a NASCAR content copyright. (It’s a spectator’s vid — is it even legal for YouTube or NASCAR to pull this?)

It’s back up: “Our partners and users do not have the right to take down videos from YouTube unless they contain content which is copyright infringing, which is why we have reinstated the videos,” YouTube told the Washington Post.

Debris in the stands:

@tk1300

Look at where this tired landed:

AP Photo/David Graham

EARLIER:

#BREAKING: 17 race fans injured, 2 seriously after Kyle Larson’s crash at Daytona during the last lap of the Nationwide #NASCAR race.

— WSFA 12 News (@wsfa12news) February 23, 2013

The Volusia County Professional Firefighters Association’s Facebook page provided this update: “Update from the crash at the Speedway. There are at least 10 patients, 2 have been transported to Halifax, which is our trauma center. So far, there has been only 1 Trauma Alert.”

@ESPNNASCAR tweeted: “15 spectators transported to area hospitals; 1 on the way to surgery with head trauma; no further information at this time.”

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said, “We are currently continuing to assess the situation, taking care of those involved.”

AP Photo/David Graham