Before showing this video, here is a warning. It is footage of a very violent crash. I debated whether or not to even post it, but ultimately I decided to do so in order to bring attention to the poor track design and low safety standards that took Carlos Pardo’s life.

Carlos Pardo was leading a NASCAR Mexico race in Pueblo when he was tapped from behind by another driver. Pardo’s car then headed straight into a concrete wall. Both the wall and his car disintegrated on impact.

The race was stopped, and Pardo was later posthumously awarded the victory.

It’s immediately obvious that this accident was 100% preventable. While it’s necessary for emergency crews and track officials to be able to access the track from the infield, there is no excuse for the wall being nearly perpendicular to the racing line. Additionally, the wall appeared to be bare concrete, possibly with a couple of water containers, but those didn’t do anything. It certainly had no SAFER barrier. Stronger protection may have saved Pardo’s life.

NASCAR will need to take a long hard look at all of the tracks that it uses in its various series after this. Just because this is a lower level series in a foreign country does not mean that the drivers should be subjected to sub-standard racing conditions. This track was flawed, and Carlos Pardo paid for it with his life.

NASCAR Mexico driver Pardo killed in crash [Fox Sports]

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