Have you ever looked at something and wondered who came up with that stupid idea? That’s exactly what many people were thinking during the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour race at Slinger Speedway, which ended in a demolition derby. Fresh from NASCAR’s chaotic Quaker State 400 race, where 23 cars were involved in a pile-up, the Slinger Speedway topped it up with their own showdown. The figure 8 feature is a unique event at the Slinger Speedway and is often considered the most dangerous as well.

Over here, cars compete in a normal race, but the track is shaped like the number eight. In other words, the race track loops in on itself. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how a potential race would play out. The race leader entered the intersection at the same time as the last-placed driver. Apparently, the backmarker driver was a bit further away from the car ahead of him, and both drivers got the shock of their lives.

The announcer could predict the detrimental outcome before the crash. “Somebody’s gonna either have to slow down or speed up… Wow what a hit that was, holy cow. That was as hard as hit I’ve ever seen here.” The two cars just rammed into each other, bringing out the red flag. As it turns out, the race is designed in a manner that it will lead to such crashes and wreck, and it is a pretty terrifying concept. It is one thing to see a NASCAR race car being torn to pieces with one driver making a fumble, but in a figure 8 race, they are set up to crash.

Believe it or not, but figure 8 racing championships actually exist. The mecca for figure 8 racing is Indianapolis Speedrome and it has been held since 1977. The three-hour marathon sees 28 racers crowd themselves on a tiny 1.5-mile track, crossing each other 1,000 times, traveling at speeds between 70 and 80 mph. What’s in it for the drivers? A cash reward of $15,000 is offered if they survive the wild racing event.

For those who saw this clip for the first time, this seemed like a mad idea, and they didn’t approve of this style of racing.

NASCAR fans voiced their disapproval of the Figure 8 racing

Of course, many people were shocked at the scenes and were thankful that the drivers were okay. Then came the expected outrage, “What an incredibly stupid sport.” Others called into question the safety standards in such races, “And how and why are these races allowed to be ran being unsafe and dangerous as hell?”

Without a sanctioning body like NASCAR or IndyCar, this is unorganized style of racing. But despite the limited intervention and expertise in place, the fatality rate is surprisingly less. From 1998 to 2010, at least three drivers have died in figure 8 racing on some 60 U.S. tracks, according to a report by The New York Times. But, while this sport is for thrill seekers, it makes little sense financially to wreck the cars.

“I struggle to see what the point is in spending the money on a race car to then enter figure 8 races,” a fan argued. Interestingly, the cars used in this sport are handbuilt with their designs based on frames of older Firebirds and Camaros which cost about $40,000. Engines are from Chevy camp and range between 600 and 800 horsepower, roughly the same as Indy cars.

The shock from fans was evident: “Now that is one of the most brutal hits I’ve seen! Glad both drivers are okay, holy moly!” Others also said, “That’s some test drive eve of destruction type collision there damn.” Although NASCAR fans like to see fender-bending, door-to-door racing, the figure 8, perhaps crosses the fine line between thrill and sanity.