Should we do anything at the risk of another tragedy like what happened to Dale Earnhardt Sr.? Photo by Darryl Moran
“Ten years ago I wouldn’t be standing here.”
That was Martin Truex Jr. after his wreck in April 2011 at Martinsville.
After that quote, why in the world would NASCAR consider sanctioning a race where SAFER barriers were not in place?
Well, per a report by Racin’ Today, the Camping World Truck Series is.
Could someone please tell me what the upside is in this?
So, in your No. 3 series, which creates very little national attention when everything goes right, you’re going to create a situation which might be the No. 1 story in the country when something goes wrong?
Sunday in the Chase race at Chicagoland, Jeff Gordon suffered a stuck throttle, the same thing that Truex suffered at Martinsville. Said struck throttle was the same thing that killed Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. at New Hampshire within a two-month span in 2000, a year before Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death at Daytona.
As dangerous as superspeedways like Daytona are, New Hampshire is a one-mile short track. According to the Racin’ Today report, the Truck series is waiting for the results of a safety report to determine whether certain short tracks are feasible for NASCAR action minus the SAFER barrier.
I think we already have enough data. Many of NASCAR’s deaths have taken place at shorter tracks, so how can any report — even one by the the University of Nebraska, which helped develop the SAFER barrier and is conducting the current study for NASCAR — conclude that a track minus current safety features is safe?
Sure, we still have the COT and the HANS device that could protect a driver. But to go backwards on workplace safety — after NASCAR has declared safety a moving target and claimed to be looking ahead — would be akin to repealing child labor laws and the minimum wage.
NASCAR takes a lot of pride in not having a death in its top series since Earnhardt.
Why put that on the line?
