There are some moments in NASCAR that are so haunting, they etch themselves into the minds of fans, drivers, and broadcasters forever. You might forget who won a certain race or who got stage points, but there are a few horrifying moments that just stay. For Rick Allen and Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of those moments is Austin Dillon’s crash at Daytona in 2015.
It wasn’t just any wreck. It was one of those spine-tingling, heart-in-your-throat crashes that made even the most seasoned drivers and crews in the garage go silent.
Earnhardt and Allen still remember every second of it. It was Allen’s first time calling a NASCAR race on NBC, and let’s just say, it was a baptism by fire.
Silence, Shock, and One Big Scare for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Allen
The race had just ended. Earnhardt crossed the finish line first and the crowd was going wild, seeing their favourite driver win. And then, in a blink, everything changed.
Dillon’s No. 3 car shot through the air like it hit a trampoline, smashed into the catch fence, and landed on the track upside-down in pieces, with just its roll cage intact. Then Brad Keselowski, with nowhere to go, slammed into him. This horrid crash reminded many of something similar which had claimed Earnhardt’s father’s life 14 years prior.
Allen said the whole broadcast booth went dead quiet. “We thought he was dead. We did. And that’s probably one of the more memorable races that I have ever called…. It was so bad,” he recalled during his appearance on Earnhardt’s podcast. It felt like time stopped for him.
Even Earnhardt didn’t care that he had just won a race. His voice cracked on the radio: “Oh my God, that looked awful.” His crew chief Greg Ives told his team members to not touch Dillon if he was okay, and to just let the safety crew handle it.
It was absolutely terrifying. People honestly thought they had just witnessed the worst again.
A Shaky Start, a Lasting Impact
Somehow, miraculously, Dillon was declared to be safe. Everyone watching were relieved and the grandstands erupted. You could hear the cheers from miles away. Dillon was bruised but alive. Meanwhile, debris had flown into the stands, hurting several fans—one even had to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully, all of them recovered.
Afterwards, Allen and the NBC crew were back at the hotel, eating pizza and trying to process what just happened. “Okay, that was a pretty good start,” someone joked. It surely was an eventful start for Allen and his co-casters.
For Allen, Earnhardt, and everyone who witnessed that horrific moment, it wasn’t just another race. It was a wild start—but also one that reminded everyone just how brutal this sport can be sometimes. And how tough the people in it truly are.