Make no mistake, the allure of racing is the speed, the noise, the high speed games of chicken, the strategy, the endurance….and yes……the danger. It’s been some time since NASCAR has lost one of its own on the track, but can’t help but be reminded, thanks to races like we had last Saturday, that the element of danger is still there.
Miss Mustang Jackie opines today on that danger and the most dramatic measure they’ve taken in the last decade to attempt to eliminate- if not minimize greatly- that danger. After that, I invite you click on the link that follows the post.
It’s coming sooner or later. Kyle Busch’s spectacular crash in the Coke Zero 400 is a testament to the safety of the COT. Carl Edwards survived a even more spectacular crash in Talladega to climb out of the wreckage to trot across the finish line on foot. Kasey Kahne along with Ryan Newman probably said a silent prayer of thanks when they both got a windshield full of wheels and escaped injury when Kyle and Carl came in for a landing on top of their cars. Don’t forget that Michael McDowell was able to walk away from the smoking crumpled heap of his COT after that horrifying wreck during qualifying in Texas in 2007.
Say all the bad things you want about the COT. It makes for boring racing, the leader of the race usually runs off and leaves the pack behind in clean air, no side by side racing. Not to mention except for cosmetic differences you can’t tell the difference between a Ford or Toyota and Chevy.
And we can all see every weekend the problems they are having putting fans in the seats. I think the main culprit there is that people don’t just have the money for a day at the track. Not just the expense of a ticket but the cost of getting there and the cost of having a place to stay if you traveled very far to see a race. The economy has also affected the sponsors and the smaller teams.
But there is one problem I feel that people are overlooking. Sooner or later there is going to be another fatality in the Cup series. I hate to say it, even hate to think it. The last one is the one everybody knows about, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Yes, I remember the Hendrick tragedy of 2003, but I’m speaking of drivers.
Up until 2001, there had been at least one, sometimes 2 or 3 racing related deaths in the top NASCAR series every year. Some weren’t during a race, such as Davey Allison’s helicopter crash or Alan Kulwicki’s plane crash. But they were at a track or headed to a track.
It would be a terrible thing to lose any driver, but can you imagine the impact the loss of a Jeff Gordon or a Tony Stewart would have on NASCAR today? Most of the risk that drivers take is at the track, but a majority of drivers fly to each race so that risk is there too.
I’m sure that there is things that could be done to the COT to improve the racing and in fact it has seemed to improve since it has been used full time. Far as the air crashes, they were tragic accidents that may or may not have been avoided but regardless they took the lives of drivers that still could have had a long career of racing ahead of them.
I feel that we have been extremely lucky not to lose anyone in Cup race since 2001 but I also feel that the law of averages is a cruel statistic waiting to catch up. And sooner or later it’s coming.
Among the current fan base may be those who weren’t around for the fatal crashes of Terry Schoonover, Grant Adcox or J.D. Mc Duffie among others. The following is a link to video of those incidents. Keep in mind, some of what you’ll see are fatal crashes- there may be those of you who may find that disturbing- so keep that in mind before proceeding. Should you choose to watch, keep in mind the broadcast team and others involved didn’t know at the moment what you know now.
All Left Turns: Fatal NASCAR Crashes
For those who may have missed it, here is footage provided by All Left Turns.com on the final lap incident at the Coke Zero 400 last Saturday….
All Left Turns: Coke Zero 400 Kyle Bush Crash
One additional note: Patrick Reynolds offers insightful comment on Michael Waltrip’s announcement of semi-retirement from driving, as well as the similar path taken by Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin. Be sure to read it right here on Bump Drafts, posted today!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Look, I appreciate the sentiment here. As a matter of fact, I have written a couple articles for other sites regarding how sterile NASCAR has become due to it’s unseen rule book enforced at the governing body’s leisure, and the new car. That’s right, I have called out the new COT several times. It DOES in fact, make racing much more boring, there is less passing, less competition, etc. Fans are tired of the political correctness that NASCAR now enforces on its drivers like it is some sort of communist regime. Sure, the economy is definitely a contributing factor. I can tell you I purchased four of my Daytona 500 tickets for 2010 for what I normally spend for three. Did anyone notice NO tickets were sold for the back stretch for the 400 at Daytona? The two 400s I have attended there I sat on the back stretch. So, totally on the economy? One would have to be extremely naive to believe that.
…and let’s face it, though tragic at times, (after all a it killed my favorite driver), as fans, our guilty pleasure at races is wrecking. Especially when it comes to drivers we don’t particularly like. We do not want to see injuries, but nothing gets a crowd into a race more than crunching sheet metal. Ever been to a NASCAR event and listen to the crowd’s reaction when a certain driver crashes? It is unquestionable. Safety? Of course due to my profession, I am all for it, but when you start having caution-free events because 43 box-shaped turds are running around the track, even more seats will be left to the tumble weeds.
@Jeremy. As you astutely point out, it’d be foolish to think that dissatisfaction with “the product” is ONE factor in NASCAR’s “decline.” But ’splain this to me: if it’s all the CoT’s fault- then why are the local tracks going broke?
This PC stuff, I’m sorry Jer, is B.S. Not when you have Shrub, Smoke, Kevin Harvick, Bowyer, Scott Speed, etc. I’m not buying it.
It’s far more than the economy. If it was the economy keeping people from the race tracks, the TV viewership should be higher than ever. The TV ratings are down double digits so it is clear people are tuning out in addition to not coming to the races. Generic cars being driven by generic drivers on generic 1.5 mile tracks does not make excitement. If you take the winner after a race, disguise the voice and remove the sponsors, I would wager that you couldn’t figure out who the winner was. The lack of personalities of the cars, drivers and even most of the tracks will keep the interest in NA$CAR dropping. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are the only drivers with any hint of an individual persoality.
I think the point has been missed here. The COT and the economy are only TWO of the reasons why attendance of races and TV ratings of races are down.
And yes, I have set through 3 hour snooze fest races waiting on the “Big One” to happen.
But my point is I think fans have become complacent about the risk of fatalities. Even with all the safety innovations like the COT, safer barriers and the HANS device, eventually there will be a fatality during a race. I think that a lot of people have just forgotten the risks those 43 drivers take each week.
Local tracks here in Ohio are doing dandy. I was unaware so many were going broke.
Stewart was penalized for missing a post race press conference in Phoenix a couple years ago because NASCAR new it was done in protest. He was fined 10,000 big ones for calling out GoodYear….so, political correctness? You betchya.
Harvick has some how managed to get away with it, and I love that. It is long overdue. I have never heard much squawk out of Bowyer.
I forgot to mention that TV viewership was down. Fox released a story three races in to this season stating that very fact and even attributed it to the new car and less passing. I don’t know if that article made your local paper, but it did mine.
I don’t think fans have developed complacency, I think they have devoloped disgust, especially hard core old timers. I have only been a fan since 1996, and to see the degradation of the sport I knew when I started diving into it is sad, to say the least. We are definitely aware of the risks involved, duh, that is why we like the sport. It’s fast, emotional, and risky! Humans love to see humans take risks. We like watching wrecks as much as you rubber neck at an auto accident on the highway. (You cannot debate that subject with me, I am privy specifically to that knowledge) However, I am glad to see Ken had my back, because he brought up several issues I did not…cookie cutter drivers, cookie cutter cars, on cookie cutter tracks.
Tony Stewart proposed something last season I thought was phenominally well thought. He would donate a million of his personal dollars to bring the IROC series back from the ashes if they would race on one event on a dirt track. He was even quick on the draw to say it didnt have to be his own track, Eldora. Now I would pay to watch that! Slipping, sliding, rolling, mud, and passion! So Nationwide will have a COT, how long before the truck series has a TOT? Now that just sounds stupid!
@Jerm #4. For more information about abadoned tracks- read this: http://stockcarracing.automotive.com/83201/scrp-0412-abandoned-race-tracks/index.html. It also includes telling commentary from the track operator at Mansfield.
I’ve looked and I’ve found no evidence of Stewart being fined for his comments about Goodyear last year. He got fined for his “B.S.” comment after winning the year before, and lot’s of other things, but not that.
TV ratings are a bit of a straw horse. Ratings for sports, Tv ratings in general are “down.” you can make the conclusion that the quality of racing is the total blame, but to do that is an oversimplification of a more complex issue of people’s media usage habits.
On this P.C. business, I would hardly call Kyle Busch P.C. Dale Jr. has been openly critical of the new car. As for Bowyer, apparently you’ve missed his comments about Michael Waltrip being the “worst driver in NASCAR” and similar statements about other drivers. Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle have also spoken out on their concerns about the drug testing policy.
The complacency you speak of was Jackie speaking to the notion that fans take for granted the idea that a driver can walk away from a major crash. The CoT has helped enhance that, but still, when you’re talkign about sa 200 lb. man going 200 mph in a 3,500 lb. car in tight traffic- you know as well as I do what CAN happen.
I think you’ve missed the point of the article to beat a dead horse that has been beat over and over.
The point is this:
The CoT and other innovations have helped save the lives of Michael Mc Dowell, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards and others. That said, the danger STILL exists.
Perhaps Monte Dutton said it best in this column http://nascar.rbma.com/on-track/general-motorsports/18612-are-the-good-times-over-for-goo-or-is-it-just-me
Like it or not, times have changed, and they’re not going back. That leaves fans with two choices: accept it, OR make use of the “off” button. It’s what I did with Major League Baseball. I think John Chapman in his first guest post this week nailed it. NASCAR is going through a course correction after years of unprecedented growth. Where it will land remains to be seen.