In the earlier crash Tony Stewart's car flew through the air as more than a dozen other cars slid around the track, bouncing off each other. It was the kind of crash stock car fans are accustomed to seeing. Lots of banging. Lots of tire smoke and dust. It's equivalent to the diving touchdown catch in football.
Crashes are the racing visual.
Consider the news reports on the Daytona 500 if Dale Earnhardt hadn't been killed. Sure, there would have been the obligatory shot of Michael Waltrip holding his arms up in victory. Then The Intimidator would have been shown hugging his son and Waltrip. But the prime visual, the imprimatur of auto racing and the race, would have been Tony Stewart's crash. Where everyone walked away.