NASCAR’s First and Forgotten Tragedies

July 25th, 1948. This date may not ring a bell, but it is one of the most tragic days in NASCAR history. It is the day of the first fatal accident in NASCAR history. In Columbus, Georgia, it was Red Byron who lost control of his machine before it plowed into a crowd of spectators. Over in North Carolina, on the same day, William Davis was fatally injured after his car rolled multiple times. Today, we’re going to take a look into NASCAR’s past and dive into these two tragic stories that have been lost due to time.

• Learn the history and impact of NASCAR’s first fatal accidents that happened on the same day.
• Dive into what caused the accidents and the lack of safety features in 1948.
• What was the NASCAR Modified Division?
• Learn about the history of the two tracks discussed in the video: Greensboro Fairgrounds Speedway and Columbus Speedway.

NASCAR is a sport that has had some dark and tragic moments, and this was one of the earliest ones. Be sure to subscribe to NFJJ for more historical NASCAR content on some of NASCAR’s most forgotten stories.

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