No. 9: Video Of Shane Hmiel’s USAC Crash

Though the calendar has changed, it’s not too late to look back at last season. SB Nation is counting down its top 15 most-viewed NASCAR stories of 2010 during the first two weeks of January.

Knowing that former NASCAR driver Shane Hmiel is working on an amazing recovery from his sickening USAC crash in October helps make this video a little easier to swallow.

But not much.

This was one of those instances where I had second thoughts about even posting the information. During the live Sprint Cup race chat at Fontana, someone in the chat room passed along the video of Hmiel’s wreck from the day before.

I hadn’t seen it posted anywhere else, and I felt like it was newsworthy enough to post the information for whoever wanted to see it. But there was some doubt in my mind as to whether it was in good taste or appropriate.

Our IndyCar Series blog, PopOffValve.com, was already covering Hmiel’s wreck and had some very solid coverage of the aftermath. I felt like the video would supplement that without crossing the line.

Ultimately, even though I felt conflicted about it, I posted the video link in the interest of passing along the news to readers. It wasn’t pleasant news or an enjoyable video to watch by any means, though.

Enough people wanted to see it that it ended 2010 ranked No. 9 on our most-clicked NASCAR stories list.

Our Most Popular NASCAR Stories of 2010:

15. Instant reaction to Hendrick Motorsports crew chief swap

14. Why Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t tweet

13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes 16th at Las Vegas

12. Drivers flattered by portrayal in South Park episode

11. List of drivers’ song choices for the Bristol night race

10. ‘12 Out Of 12’ interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

9. Video of Shane Hmiel’s USAC wreck

(Nos. 8-1 to be revealed soon)