What can make hundreds of people collectively give a sigh of relief? What can silence of room full of avid NASCAR fans? What is one of the events that NASCAR fans will remember the longest and talk about for weeks afterwards? It's NASCAR wrecks. The wrecks come in all shapes and sizes: flips, fires, blowouts, spins, or sometimes the total destruction of the expensive racing car. The two things all NASCAR wrecks have in common is that fans want to see them, and they want the driver to walk away.

When the Driver Survives:

More often than not the driver will crawl from his car and smile and wave to the now-silenced audience after his NASCAR wreck. Sometimes, as seen in the famous Darrell Waltrip NASCAR wreck at Daytona, there is little more than a shell left of the car. Due to all the safety equipment, the driver is able to return and please his fans again at the next race, even if his car was totally demolished.

How They Survive:

The list of protective equipment for drivers is exhausting. Everything that they wear, the seat they sit in, their helmet, ear wear, head rest system, seat belts, and the Hans device are only a few of the mandatory equipment that protects your favorite driver when his car spins out of control or flips end over end. Dr. Robert Hubbard can be thanked for developing the Hans device, a neck restraint system, that prevents basal skull fracture during a violent NASCAR wreck.

When Drivers Don't Survive:

Sometimes even the best and most elaborate protection is not enough to prevent a driver from being killed. The revered and respectful silence of the audience almost never ends after fatal events, like the tragic crash where Dale Earnhardt lost his life. Today, his loss is still mourned by NASCAR fans across the country. As unfortunate as a death may be, it does cause officials to pause and reevaluate safety, and that often results in even greater safety for the remaining drivers.

NASCAR wrecks are commonplace in a world where steel and concrete meet at speeds in excess of 180 mph. Miraculously, though, most of the drivers not only walk away, but also do so with little to no injury. Because of that fact fans can enjoy the competition and the thrill of the speed, as well as the added drama of a NASCAR wreck, without the expectancy of fatality at every race.