Untimely Death Following Crash
Later that year, while running the Talladega 500, Smith spun his 1971 Mercury on lap 14 and slapped the Turn 1 retaining wall. His car suffered minor damage, which the crew was preparing to repair. However during the ensuing caution flag, members of Smith's pit crew surprisingly discovered that the driver did not survive the impact of the crash. It is rumored, but not confirmed, that the head injuries that killed Smith came because he tore the inner-lining out of his helmet, which had been bothering him for some time. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Talladega Superspeedway infield hospital. No other drivers were involved in the crash.
Smith is one of several drivers featured in the 1975 book The World's Number One, Flat-Out, All-Time Great Stock Car Racing Book by Jerry Bledsoe. Bledsoe describes the struggles Smith went through in his run for Rookie Of The Year in 1972.
| Preceded by Talmadge Prince |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fatal Accidents 1973 |
Succeeded by Tiny Lund |
Read more about this topic: Larry Smith (racing Driver)
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