NASCAR committed to safety
The other day I watched qualifying for the Samsung 500. Some would compare that to watching paint dry, but every once in a while something happens worth writing about. In this case, two incidents happened; one very serious and one very amusing.
The serious incident was a crash by Michael McDowell. This was one of the worst crashes I have ever seen, and I have seen many. It had to have been seen by everyone since it was shown on every TV station for two days, and reported by every news outlet in the nation. Many race fans enjoy seeing crashes but in every instance, whether it is on a local track or in larger sanctioned races, they cheer loudly when the driver is seen emerging from the wrecked vehicle unscathed. This was the case last Friday as McDowell escaped without a scratch.
I have been most critical of NASCAR in many of my articles but today I commend NASCAR and everyone involved in making racing as safe as it can be. Every driver, after watching replays of the crash, attributed the safety for McDowell to the new and improved safety barrier, the development of the head and neck devices and the design of the new COT. Some analysts compared the crash to Dale Earnhardt’s crash at Daytona. Both crashes had the nose of the car hitting the outside wall. While Earnhardt’s car rolled to a stop on the infield grass, McDowell’s car did a series of rolls along the track with pieces of the car flying off in all directions. When a car begins rolling and parts are flying off, that is a good thing as the energy of the wreck is being dissipated. Earnhardt’s car remained intact and all the energy was passed on to Earnhardt.
Drivers have expressed disappointment with the COT and its handling ability but one of the major goals for NASCAR was to make a safer car. Mission accomplished.
The second incident I noticed was very amusing. Kyle Busch had just finished a good qualifying lap that placed him temporarily on the front row. He emerged from his car and was being approached by a TV crew consisting of a reporter and cameraman. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had just eclipsed Kyle’s speed by more than a mile and a half per hour and was coming off the track. The cameraman diverted to Dale’s car while the reporter started his interview of Kyle. In response to the reporter’s first question, Kyle quipped, ‘obviously I’m not important enough like Dale Jr. to keep my own cameraman.’
Come on Kyle, it’s a little absurd to think any driver is more important than another. Even if the comment was said in jest, the thought was there. You may be exciting to watch race but ever since 2002 when Bill Elliott retired from full time racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been voted the Most Popular Driver. Every year the fans vote for their favorite driver and it usually is not that year’s champion. Bill Elliott has been selected Most Popular Driver 16 times and only once, in 1988, was he the champion. Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the title the year he was killed. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never been the NASCAR Champion, but for the past five years he has been the fans’ favorite driver. He will win the award again this year. In this case it was the cameraman who decided who was more important.
‘ My grandson (in-law) will resume racing this weekend. He is running the full ARCA schedule and ever since his second-place finish at Daytona, the series has been idle. This week he will be at the Salem Speedway in Indiana. Good luck, Justin.
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