Gordon Lee "Don" Williams, Jr. (May 14, 1947 – May 21, 1989) was an American stock car driver born in
Madison, Florida
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, on the central northern border of Florida, United States. The population was 2,912 at the 2020 census.
History
The territory now known as Madison County was ruled at various times by S ...
. He competed in the
Sportsman 300 race at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...
on February 17, 1979, a Late Model Sportsman Division (now
Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
) race sanctioned by
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
. Williams was injured in a fiery multiple-car crash, and lived in a
semicomatose state for ten years before his death.
Crash
Don Williams was competing in the Late Model Sportsman race, the Permatex 300, at Daytona on February 17, 1979. The crash began when a car driven by Freddie Smith went into a spin and was struck by a car driven by
Joe Frasson, which then burst into flames as he hit the wall. Frasson was then struck at full speed by
Delma Cowart
Clinton “Delma” Cowart (July 6, 1941 – November 10, 2021) was an American stock car racing driver. While never achieving much success, Cowart became known by fans and broadcasters as the "clown prince of racing" in the 1980s and 1990s. Hi ...
. Williams was behind Cowart and tried to avoid the pileup. His #68 Chevrolet Chevelle crashed into the wall and spun onto the infield amid a shower of flying debris. Williams suffered head and chest injuries as well as a fractured right arm and an aneurysm in the right eye.
[''The Valdosta Daily Times''. April 16, 1979. Hagood, Mike. "Madison driver remains in the Daytona hospital."]
See also
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List of Daytona International Speedway fatalities
Since its opening in 1959, Daytona International Speedway has seen 41 on-track fatalities: 24 car drivers, 12 motorcyclists, 3 go-kart drivers, 1 powerboat racer, and 1 track worker. The most notable death was that of Dale Earnhardt, who was kil ...
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List of NASCAR fatal accidents
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Driver deaths in motorsport
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Don
1947 births
1989 deaths
People from Madison, Florida
Racing drivers from Florida
NASCAR drivers
People with severe brain damage
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in Florida