1995 Indy 500 - Stan Fox Crash
The 79th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1995 saw Jacques Villeneuve take his first win in what was Champ Car’s final visit; from then on Indy Racing League would claim the famed Brickyard race. However, the race will be forever remembered not for the fiery Canadian’s achievement, but as the one where Stan Fox had that crash.
Going into turn one, lap one, Fox’s racecar cut loose and slid up the track, collecting the #14 racecar of Eddie Cheever before slamming hard into the wall. The impact shattered much of the racecar, including everything in front of Fox, and caused it to spin and launch skyward. As the racecar flew backwards Fox’s legs dangled, completely exposed, although amazing they suffered little damage, just bruising where his heel hit Cheever’s rear wing. The violent force of the crash, however, left him with serious head injuries which placed him in a coma for five days. Fox would recover, although he never raced again.
Had Fox not collided with Cheever’s racecar first the impact with the wall would surely have been fatal. Cheever said of it later, “If my job was to help make Stan’s impact a little softer then I was glad to be there.”
Considered by many as one of the worst crashes in the history of the Brickyard, it is almost impossible to believe that Fox survived. Tragically he died aged 48, killed in a road traffic accident in New Zealand in 2000.
My thanks to champcar4ever for posting this amazing footage on YouTube.
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