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NASCAR cameramen have one of the riskiest jobs in the sports business. Only a few weeks ago, we saw Shane van Gisbergen coming dangerously close to hitting the cameraman<\/a> at Chicago. Unfortunately, this is nothing new in the world of NASCAR.<\/p>\n Michael Waltrip also had a close call with a cameraman early in his career. The two-time Daytona 500 winner spun out at Indianapolis Raceway Park and nearly struck a member of the broadcast team.<\/p>\n Looking Back at Michael Waltrip\u2019s Terrifying Near-Miss With NASCAR Cameraman<\/p>\n Waltrip was involved in some nasty crashes throughout his career. The one we will discuss today is not the most devastating one he suffered, but it could have been a lot worse.<\/p>\n These days, drivers perfect their craft in the Truck and Xfinity Series before making the jump to the Cup Series. Waltrip, however, made his NASCAR debut in the premier division of the sport. He made his Busch Series debut, the predecessor of the Xfinity Series, in 1988.<\/p>\n The Kentucky man enjoyed far more success in the Busch Series than in Cup. He finished his career with only four Cup wins, and his first win came 16 years after his first race. In the Busch Series, however, he racked up 11 wins in 279 starts.<\/p>\n On July 31, 1993, he started the Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park for Bahari\u2019 Racing in the team\u2019s No.30 Pontiac. He couldn\u2019t finish the race<\/a>, and narrowly avoided what could have been a serious accident.<\/p>\n A collision with Jeff Burton sent Waltrip spinning into the infield, where he narrowly missed hitting a cameraman. While the cameraman escaped unscathed, he was sprayed with dirt from Waltrip\u2019s spinning tires.<\/p>\n When Bristol Nearly Took Out Waltrip<\/p>\n The abovementioned incident was nothing compared to whatWaltrip endured four years earlier<\/a>. At Bristol, he emerged from a car that had been ripped in half. It was nothing short of a miracle that he survived the brutal crash.<\/p>\n Coming out of Turn 2, Waltrip\u2019s Pontiac clipped a metal gate, swinging it open just enough for the car to crash head-on into the abutment on the passenger side.<\/p>\n The impact shredded the vehicle, sending debris flying across the track. Miraculously, trailing cars had just enough distance to dodge the wreck and avoid a pile-up.<\/p>\n