![Marks at a race track. [Image via Dariusz Sankowski - Pixabay]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/12/9/660x290/b_502x220x82/marks-at-a-race-track-image-via-dariusz-sankowski-pixabay_2366934.jpg "Marks at a race track. [Image via Dariusz Sankowski - Pixabay]")
For all of the controversies surrounding auto racing, passions for it tend to be shared. A love for it can often be passed down to family members. Some of the most famous racers of all-time are members of prominent racing families.
The Bonnett family is one of many families who've had multiple members take up racing. Most well-known among them is Neil Bonnett. More recently, his grandson, Justin, has been competing. But a recent incident might have hit very close to home for the Bonnett family.
The younger Bonnett was in a serious wreck
On December 7, Justin Bonnett was racing in the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100, a late model race.
Part of the Snowflake Derby, it takes place in Pensacola, Florida at Five Flags Speedway.
Partway into the race, a car driven by Jarrett Parker began to spin after the brakes went out. Running behind him, Bonnett wasn't able to avoid contact. He'd been driving a number 12 car, much like his grandfather had done for years. After the collision, the fuel tank from Parker's car broke free. Bonnett's car caught on fire, as did other areas of the track where some of the fuel had spilled.
A safety crew removed Bonnett from the car and put the flames out. The race would be red-flagged for an extended period of time. According to Yahoo, Bonnett was first taken to a nearby hospital by an ambulance. Shortly thereafter, he was airlifted to a different hospital in Mobile, Alabama.
Bonnett underwent surgery at the hospital in Mobile. According to his aunt, he suffered several burns and multiple broken leg bones. The Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 did eventually re-start. According to Speed Sport, it was won by Derek Thorn. Augie Grill and Sammy Smith finished in second and third places.
Similarities between grandfather and grandson
Neil Bonnett is widely considered one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all-time. He has been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame. But his racing career was marked on more than once occasion by dangerous crashes.
A wreck with Sterling Marlin at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina in 1990 almost cost him his life.
Left with dizziness and amnesia, he gave up racing and began a career in television. He did, however, continue testing cars.
In 1993, Bonnett was medically cleared to begin competitively racing again. The following year, he was practicing for the Daytona 500, which is also raced in Florida. A shock mount on the car he was driving broke. The car ultimately ended up slamming into the wall of the track. It would be a fatal crash, taking Bonnett's life.
It wasn't the only tragedy before the 1994 Daytona 500. Just days later, reigning Goody's Dash Series Champion Rodney Orr crashed during a mock qualifying run. He would also not survive. Orr's crash was also blamed on a shock mount.
