Two cars and a lorry were involved in the collision on the A52 near Nottingham on 25 November.
Father-of-three Gurdip Singh Kareer, 41, from Wollaton, was a "loving, caring family man", while Kyle O'Connor, 22, of Wollaton Vale, Nottingham, "loved everything".
Two men, aged 22 and 24, have been arrested and bailed over the crash.
The family of Mr Kareer said: "He was a loving, caring family man that always put his wife and three children Kaiden, nine , Argent, four and Tiana, 11 months, first before anything else.
"He doted on his family and everything he did was for his family. He was a loving brother, a caring son and will be very sadly missed forever - but never forgotten."
Mr O'Connor's family described him as a loving and adventurous man
"Kyle was a loved brother, son, grandson, nephew and best friend.
"Kyle loved everything and everyone around him, behind his fearlessness, strength, sense of fun and adventure, which we will hold in our hearts forever.
"As a family we would like to thank everyone who has shown love and support," they said.
There were lane closures on the road for nearly 24 hours after the accident.
Police have renewed an appeal for any witnesses and particularly dashcam footage from any vehicles which were near the scene at the time of the crash.
Tributes have been paid to the two men who died in a crash which closed a major road in the East Midlands.