Earlier we showed you some Indy 500 competitors spinning out their junk during the parade laps before the race started. That was comical, but this footage from the 1982 Indy 500 is downright wild. Kevin Cogan who started the race in the front row suffered some sort of failure and caused an incredible wreck before the green flag ever flew! Legends like Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt were caught up in one of the most infamous crashes in Brickyard history.

No one has ever determined what caused the mess. Some think that it was a failure in the rear end of the car or perhaps the tires broke loose when Cogan dropped the hammer in anticipation of a green flag. Sam Posey, who was working with Jim McKay as a television announcer, seems to indicate on the video that Cogan yanked the wheel.

Skip to the mid-point of the video to see things get ugly. Stick around to hear Mario and AJ’s comments. They are priceless.

Thanks to BangShift.com member Whelk for the tip on this video!

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE KEVIN COGAN ENTER THE INDY HALL OF INFAMY –