The flatness of the track could have contributed to the severity of both Petty and Irwin's accidents, drivers and crew members said. But with no significant bank, the right front portion of Irwin's car hit first, and hard. The car then climbed the wall and skidded around the corner on its side, with Irwin hanging dangerously close to the track's surface. Finally, it flipped completely over onto the roof before coming to a stop. And frankly, it's really difficult to piece these kinds of things together.
Every investigation is unique.
Safety workers removed Irwin from the car, and he was taken to the track's infield care center on a stretcher within 15 minutes of the accident. An hour after the accident, Tony Glover, Irwin's crew chief, emerged. He could only shake his head and look at the ground. It's just too much. In a lot of ways, it's easier now to just keep racing, to just keep going on, because you're in your groove, you're in your mode, you're doing what you're doing, and you're keeping your mind on that.