List of NASCAR fatalities

This article lists drivers who have been fatally injured while competing in or in preparation for races sanctioned by the National Association for [Stock Car Auto Racing]. A separate list compiles drivers who have died of a medical condition while driving or shortly thereafter and another section shows non-driver deaths.
There have been 129 deaths of drivers and spectators at NASCAR events. 109 of these deaths were drivers, while 20 were spectators. 14 drivers have also lost their lives at the Daytona International Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series has seen 28 driver fatalities, the most recent of which occurred on February 18, 2001, when Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
Safety in the sport has evolved through the decades. Technological advances in roll cages, window nets, seat mounts, air flaps, driving suits, and helmets as well as the HANS device, on-site medical facilities with helicopters, improved track emergency responders, and SAFER barriers have contributed to the prevention of further deaths.

Driver fatalities

NASCAR Cup Series fatalities

Breakdown

Decade	Total
1940s	0
1950s	7
1960s	7
1970s	4
1980s	5
1990s	3
2000s	2
2010s	0
2020s	0
All	28

Drivers who have died of a medical condition in NASCAR events

This list covers drivers who crashed their cars because of a fatal medical condition as well as those who managed to stop their cars but died of a medical condition shortly afterwards.

Driver	Date of incident	Event	Circuit	Session	Series/Division/Tour/Class	Medical condition
	July 3, 1970		Southside Speedway	Heat race	NASCAR [Late Model Sportsman Division\|Late Model Sportsman Division]	Having stopped in the pits, the 36-year-old upholstery shop owner had a fatal heart attack.
	August 13, 1977	Winston 200	Hickory Speedway	Race	Late Model Sportsman Division	Having stopped in the pits, Isaac collapsed due to heat exhaustion and later had a heart attack, of which he died on August 14, 1977, the next day.
	August 12, 1978	Winston Sears Point 100	Sears Point Raceway	Practice	Winston West Grand National Series	Having finished a practice run, Baker had a fatal heart attack.
	May 2, 1980	Cahaba Shrine Temple 100	Huntsville Speedway	Race	Grand American Division	The 38-year-old driver hit a wall but died of a heart attack.
	May 29, 1982		Bowman Gray Stadium	Practice	Modified Division/Winston Racing Series	The 51-year-old operator of an auto repair shop slammed into a guard rail and was hit by another car but died of a heart attack.
	May 4, 1991	Carquest Auto Parts Stores 300	South Boston Speedway	Race	NASCAR [Busch Grand National Series\|Busch Grand National Series]	The 36-year-old professional race car driver hit a wall but died of a heart attack.
	June 6, 1992	30-lap race	Cajon Speedway	Feature race	Winston Racing Series	Having stopped in the pits, the 49-year-old transmissions seller had a fatal diabetic seizure.
	July 10, 1993	Commercial Credit Night	Santa Fe Speedway	Race	Winston Racing Series	The 51-year-old driver struck a wall, having had a heart attack, of which he died on July 11, 1993, the next day.
	July 15, 1994		Speedway USA	Race	Winston Racing Series	The 45-year-old businessman brushed a wall but died of a heart attack.
	April 1, 2001	40-lap race	Rockford Speedway	Feature race	Weekly Racing Series	The 41-year-old driver crashed into a wall but died of a heart attack.
	June 1, 2002	25-lap race	Bowman Gray Stadium	Race	Weekly Racing Series	The 66-year-old garage owner hit a guard rail but died of a heart attack.
	June 5, 2010	40-lap race	Beech Ridge Motor Speedway	Feature race	Whelen All-American Series	Having finished a rain-shortened race, the 53-year-old sales manager had a fatal heart attack.
	July 14, 2012	15-lap race	All American Speedway	Feature race	Whelen All-American Series	The 60-year-old real estate agent hit a wall but died of a heart attack.
	April 13, 2013	8-lap race	Thompson International Speedway	Heat race	Whelen All-American Series	Having finished a race, the 62-year-old driver, who worked in the fastener/seals industry, had a fatal heart attack.
	September 19, 2015	Mekkelsen RV Vermont 200	Devil's Bowl Speedway	Feature race	Whelen All-American Series	The 63-year-old buildings, grounds, and transportation superintendent hit a wall while taking a victory lap but died of a stroke.
	May 27, 2018	20-lap race	Devil's Bowl Speedway	Feature race	Whelen All-American Series	The 62-year-old heavy equipment mechanic lightly brushed a wall but died of cardiac arrest.
	August, 09, 2025	20-lap race	Bowman-Gray Stadium	Feature race	NASCAR [Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series]	The 53-year-old veteran had an unspecified medical emergency coming down to take a restart and hit the turn 4 wall. He was extracted from the car and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Non-driver fatalities

This section lists people who have been fatally injured in close connection to the racing taking place at an event while not driving a race car including drivers being on the sidelines.