Racing Retrospective: The Tragedy of 1957
Tragedy Dominates the 1957 Racing Season
With the racing world still reeling from the horror at Le Mans’ Maison Blanche tribune two years’ prior, the 1957 racing season offered no respite from the dangers offered by motorsport.
14 spectator souls departed after an errant car left the road during an Italian road race during the spring, 17 fans suffered injuries at Martinsville after Buddy Myers’ car jumped the fence and soared into a grassy observation area, and two children lost their lives when a flying tire veered into the crowd at Pennsylvania Speedway on May 30. The spectator losses were tough to swallow, yet no less than seven drivers loss their lives on American soil during the same haunted season, including NASCAR’s own Buddy Myers’ tragic departure during the Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day.
The horrific carnage forced the American Automobile Association to back away from high speed auto racing, and the car manufacturers, ever nervous about the negative publicity surrounding the danger of attending race events, gingerly followed suit shortly thereafter.
