Photo by Darryl W. Moran Photography
1990 Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd was involved in an accident at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990, which led to the death of driver, Mike Rich, tire changer and member of Bill Elliott’s racing team. While Rich changed the right rear tire on Elliott’s Thunderbird, Rudd came into his pit, locked the brakes, and hit Elliott’s car in the rear.
Because Rich was pinned under Rudd’s car, he was airlifted to the hospital. He was treated for head and chest injuries but suffered from a fatal heart attack while undergoing surgery. This death and concerns surrounding the safety of crewmen in pit stalls resulted in stricter regulations such as requiring fire-retardant clothing, protective headwear, pit-row speed limits, and the requirement for crewman to wave boards to identify pit stalls.
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