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In NASCAR, crashes happen, but, some drivers tend to crash more than others. Which drivers are the ones who cause the most wrecks, and who do NASCAR fans think cause the most wrecks? NASCAR Reddit gave their opinions on who wrecks the most.
For the suggestions given, we will refer to a couple of data points. First, we will refer at an article written by David Caraviello at Bookies.com in May of 2022 that analyzed all 36 full-time Cup Series drivers last year and how often they crashed. We also will look at the drivers statistics for so far this season, and how often they have wrecked this year.
Who are the drivers that the NASCAR fans felt that wrecked the most? Is there any validity to their claim?
Kyle Busch is known for some incredible saves. However, when you drive on the edge like that, crashes will happen. According to Caraviello, Busch, as of May of 2022, had an 11% crash rate. So far this season, Busch has had four DNFs, and three of these were listed as being for crashes. He also was one of the first drivers to go off into the tire barrier at Chicago, but he came back to finish fifth.
Christopher Bell is a dirt track driver, so, he is used to driving on the edge. His crash rate according to Caraviello was slightly higher than Kyle at 12%. He also has three DNFs because of crashes, the same as Busch. Those two marks ranked 25th for Busch and 20th for Bell amongst full-time drivers according to Caraviello.
kmilla10 says that Busch led in 2022 with the most solo crashes, tied with Chase Elliott.
ShweddyMcNuggets said that Bell struggled in the first year of the Next-Gen. However, didn’t everybody struggle a bit to adapt to the Next-Gen and how hard it was to drive?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. does have the nickname “Wrecky Spinhouse” to some, and it was earned to an extent. He wrecked five times early in the 2010 Xfinity Series season, and he was taken out of his seat for a year for that very reason. However, this year, he has only one DNF for a crash coming at Gateway.
This is a moment in NASCAR history indeed jhealey0909.
The obligatory “Wrecky Spinhouse” comment on Reddit.
Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. the REAL Intimidator?
According to Caraviello, Wallace ranked 13th amongst full-time drivers in career wreck rate with 13%. This year, Wallace has five DNFs, with four of those being because of crashes. He does tend to wreck some it seems, but not everyone totally agrees.
ScoeSpence does not put Wallace into this category.
GlumEconomics clarifies that his point is mainly about Wallace spinning himself out of races.
This year has not been kind to Noah Gragson. In 21 races, he has an ugly six DNFs. He also had five DNFs last season in 18 races. Of those 11 DNFs, eight of them have been related to crashes. Six DNFs this season is tied for the second most DNFs in NASCAR this season.
Well, Ross Chastain caused incidents at Dover, Darlington, Gateway, and, arguably, Talladega. Plus what he did last season. Ryan Preece recorded four DNFs in the first 10 races, and all of them were crashes. Chris Buescher has only one DNF this season at Atlanta because of a crash.
Austin Dillon leads the series in DNFs with seven, and he had eight DNFs last season as well. Every single DNF this season has been caused because of a crash. Seven of his eight DNFs in 2022 were because of crashes.
When it comes to wrecks, it happens to everybody. Everyone crashes in racing at some point or another, but doing it too much can cost you a ride at NASCAR’s highest level. However, some driver on this list wreck a lot, but they win enough to balance things out.
