Drivers and the automakers that fund their right feet are drawn to the challenge of conquering the world's most difficult sets of turns, taming the fastest straights and enduring the longest trials, and we spectators like nothing more than to watch them try. That's why over a century of auto racing has narrowed down the list of truly great tracks – la Sarth, Monza, Nürburgring, Daytona, Indianapolis, to name a few – and why most of those on that small list have regrettably claimed enough lives over the years to be mentioned in this video by XCAR.
Scroll down to watch the video, but be warned that it's a sobering display of the high cost this sport exacts over time, a cost that has claimed not only the lives of drivers like Earnhardt, Senna and Wheldon, but many innocent souls in the stands, pits and working the track, as well. Props to XCAR for treating the topic with respect, and you might be surprised to learn how far out ahead of the others the number one selection is in terms of total lives lost.
