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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsJosh Owens, the Moonshiners cast member and former motocross racer, was seriously injured on March 4, 2023, during a Sons of Speed vintage motorcycle race at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. The event took place during Daytona Bike Week, which is why some reports described it more generally as a Daytona motorcycle-racing accident. The race was held at New Smyrna Speedway—not, according to the event-specific reporting, at Daytona International Speedway.
Early reports said Owens was stable, but the full extent of his injuries was not immediately known. He later said from the hospital that he had broken his neck, back, arm, and legs and had undergone extensive treatment.
What happened to Josh Owens?
Owens crashed while coming out of Turn 3 during a Sons of Speed race at New Smyrna Speedway on March 4, 2023. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance, according to race coverage published after the incident.
Sons of Speed races stripped-down, pre-1950 American V-twin motorcycles on a banked track. Event material described race speeds reaching as high as 80 mph, but that figure refers to the operating environment of the event and should not be treated as Owens’s confirmed speed during the crash.
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The race was part of the Daytona Bike Week period, an annual motorcycle event centered in the Daytona Beach area. That geographic and calendar connection led some entertainment reports to shorten the description to a “Daytona” motorcycle race. The more precise account is that Owens was injured at New Smyrna Speedway during Daytona Bike Week.
How serious were Josh Owens’s injuries?
The first public reports did not provide a complete medical assessment. On March 6, 2023, The Independent reported that Owens had been injured and that his condition was still not fully confirmed. Fellow Moonshiners personalities said he was stable and asked fans to continue praying for him.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Ray Llanes and Fred Bollwage later described the injuries as life-threatening. The fundraiser said Owens had undergone multiple surgeries, expected more treatment and rehabilitation, could not work, and did not have medical insurance at the time.
In a hospital update published on March 28, 2023, Owens described his own injuries as broken neck, back, arm, and legs. TMZ also reported that he showed a serious leg wound with approximately 50 staples and a large scar.
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Those details should be understood as Owens’s own account and fundraiser information, not as a complete hospital medical record. Public reporting does not establish every diagnosis or a definitive long-term prognosis. Claims about a coma, paralysis, organ damage, or other specific conditions should not be added without a reliable direct source.
Was the crash at Daytona International Speedway?
Not according to the event-specific sources. A January 2023 Sons of Speed announcement identified New Smyrna Speedway as the location of the March 4 season-opening race. Subsequent race coverage also placed the crash at New Smyrna Speedway.
New Smyrna Speedway is in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, near Daytona Beach. Because the crash occurred during Daytona Bike Week, some secondary stories referred to the incident as taking place in Daytona or at Daytona International Speedway. That wording is best treated as geographic shorthand or attributed reporting—not the most precise venue description.
Owens was not injured during the Daytona 500 or a NASCAR event. He was competing in a vintage motorcycle race associated with Daytona Bike Week.
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Owens’s racing background
Owens’s participation in the event was consistent with his long-established motorsports background. Discovery has described him as a former professional motocross racer who later became involved in stock-car driving, trophy hunting, and moonshining.
His racing experience explains why he was riding in the Sons of Speed event, but it does not mean the race was a professional championship event. Sons of Speed focuses on vintage American motorcycles and motorcycle culture rather than modern professional road racing.
How is Josh Owens doing now?
Recovery became part of Owens’s later Moonshiners storyline. In an official Discovery video published January 30, 2025, he was shown preparing whiskey while recovering from a serious motorcycle injury.
Discovery’s current Moonshiners page also continues to include Owens in Season 15 episode summaries. That confirms that he remains part of the show’s current public-facing cast narrative, but it is not a clinical update. The available public material does not justify saying that he has made a full recovery or that he has a permanent disability.
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The most accurate summary is that Owens survived a life-threatening 2023 racing crash, underwent multiple surgeries and rehabilitation, and later returned to filmed Moonshiners content while continuing to recover.
Do not confuse the 2023 crash with Owens’s 2018 accident
Owens was involved in another vintage-motorcycle accident at New Smyrna Speedway in 2018. Cycle Source reported that the earlier incident occurred during practice and involved broken ribs, a badly injured hand, and a broken nose.
That was a separate accident, five years before the March 4, 2023, Sons of Speed race. The two stories are often mixed together because both involved Owens, vintage motorcycles, and New Smyrna Speedway.
| Incident | When and where | Reported details |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 accident | Practice for a vintage-racing event at New Smyrna Speedway | Broken ribs, badly injured hand, and broken nose, according to Cycle Source |
| 2023 accident | March 4, 2023, during a Sons of Speed race at New Smyrna Speedway | Hospitalization, multiple surgeries, life-threatening injuries, and injuries Owens later described as broken neck, back, arm, and legs |
Related viewing and vintage-racing context
Sources and reporting dates
- Cycle News, January 11, 2023: Sons of Speed season-opening race announcement, including the New Smyrna Speedway venue, pre-1950 American V-twin motorcycles, and reported speeds of up to 80 mph.
- Bikernet, March 2023: Race coverage reporting that Owens went down while coming out of Turn 3 and was transported to a hospital by ambulance.
- The Independent, March 6, 2023: Early report describing Owens as injured and stable while noting that the extent of the injuries had not yet been confirmed.
- GoFundMe, March 16, 2023: Fundraiser information describing life-threatening injuries, multiple surgeries, additional rehabilitation, inability to work, and lack of medical insurance.
- TMZ, March 28, 2023: Owens’s hospital update and his own description of his broken neck, back, arm, and legs.
- Discovery, January 30, 2025, and current series materials: Recovery-related footage and later Moonshiners cast and episode information.
- Cycle Source: Separate reporting on Owens’s 2018 vintage-racing practice accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Josh Owens injured?
Josh Owens was injured on March 4, 2023, during a Sons of Speed vintage motorcycle race.
Where did Josh Owens’s motorcycle crash happen?
The crash happened at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, during the Daytona Bike Week period.
What injuries did Josh Owens report?
Owens later said that he broke his neck, back, arm, and legs. A fundraiser described the injuries as life-threatening and said he underwent multiple surgeries. These details should be attributed to Owens and the fundraiser rather than presented as a complete hospital medical record.
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Is Josh Owens still on Moonshiners?
Discovery’s current public-facing series materials continue to include Owens in Season 15 episode summaries. Those listings confirm his ongoing connection to the program but do not provide a clinical assessment of his recovery.
The Bottom Line
Josh Owens was seriously injured on March 4, 2023, in a Sons of Speed vintage motorcycle crash at New Smyrna Speedway during Daytona Bike Week. He required hospitalization and multiple surgeries, later described extensive broken bones from his hospital bed, and subsequently appeared in Discovery content while recovering. The incident should not be confused with his separate 2018 motorcycle accident or described as a crash during the Daytona 500.
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