The tragedy was one of the darkest moments in NASCAR history, injuring 107 fans leaving the All-Star Race in 2000.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tuesday, May 20, marks 25 years since one of the biggest disasters in NASCAR history, when a pedestrian bridge at then-Lowe’s Motor Speedway collapsed, injuring more than 100 fans.
The crowd was leaving the speedway after the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 20, 2000, when an 8-foot section of the walkway fell 25 feet onto U.S. 29 in Concord. A total of 107 people were hurt, but miraculously, no one died. Among those injured were Dick Brenner, a man who became the face of the tragedy in the years following the incident.
“I don’t remember hitting,” Brenner said in 2010. “I do remember falling 24 feet and that elevator feeling in your stomach. When I woke up, I was kind of covered with people.”
The fall crushed his legs and shattered his pelvis. He and his wife had just retired to their dream home in Davidson when the walkway collapsed.
Investigators claimed the bridge builder used an improper additive to help the concrete filler at the bridge’s center dry faster. They claimed this additive contained calcium chloride, which corroded the steel cables supporting the bridge, leading to the collapse. Brenner died in 2015 but left behind a legacy of helping others and as overcoming incredible adversity.
The builder, Tindall Corp., was ordered to pay a portion of a $4 million jury award to a Virginia couple in 2003. Dozens of lawsuits were filed in connection with the collapse. The Associated Press reported in 2006 the majority of those lawsuits were settled out of court.
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