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Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Debbi's Racing Resource Site
Another Viewpoint
By Debbi Willis
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Decisions, Disasters and Dissension
A 3part Viewpoint
Part 3: Dissension
Practically simultaneous events from Talladega to California would have been the biggest party in Nascar right now with one man. On April 22, Dale Earnhardt would have been surpassing Terry Labonte's "Ironman" record of 655 starts in Winston Cup racing while at Talledega and celebrating his 50th birthday on April 29th in California. Sadly though, the face of a bright new season changed in one tragic moment! When decisions are made in hopes of more marketable results, disaster can strike and did. When disasters such as death strike, and more decisions are made but not much action follows, then dissension arises. And, dissension is just as deadly. Dissension breaks the unspoken bond of trust that everyone in the sport is looking out for each other. Money, marketing and show overshadows everything and no one's really sure they're getting the whole truth anymore, thus even more dissension.
The desire to avoid experiencing the horrific pain of tragedy is a fairly normal reaction. Nascar is the type of sport the fans share in all the glory and all the pain of the racing family. Last year I didn't think it could hurt worst than losing two promising young stars like Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin in Winston Cup. Nascar was safe from scrutiny though since both happened at the same track and the track wrongfully took the brunt of the blame. However, losing Dale Earnhardt, the seemingly invincible Ironhead, at the Granddaddy of all tracks in a race he knew better than anyone was unconscionable. But, no one is blaming Daytona. Now, questions arise that Nascar cannot defend themselves against most ironically because they're greatest defender is gone due to the very circumstances THEY created! Having a death begin this season has loomed menacingly every moment and preyed on the peace of mind that drivers, teams, fans and the whole organization usually enjoys with the beginning of a fresh new season. All businesses have a good plan, but I sincerely doubt a plan was ever in place to handle an event of this magnitude.
Another Viewpoint
By Debbi Willis
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Decisions, Disasters and Dissension
A 3part Viewpoint
Part 3: DissensionPractically simultaneous events from Talladega to California would have been the biggest party in Nascar right now with one man. On April 22, Dale Earnhardt would have been surpassing Terry Labonte's "Ironman" record of 655 starts in Winston Cup racing while at Talledega and celebrating his 50th birthday on April 29th in California. Sadly though, the face of a bright new season changed in one tragic moment! When decisions are made in hopes of more marketable results, disaster can strike and did. When disasters such as death strike, and more decisions are made but not much action follows, then dissension arises. And, dissension is just as deadly. Dissension breaks the unspoken bond of trust that everyone in the sport is looking out for each other. Money, marketing and show overshadows everything and no one's really sure they're getting the whole truth anymore, thus even more dissension.
The desire to avoid experiencing the horrific pain of tragedy is a fairly normal reaction. Nascar is the type of sport the fans share in all the glory and all the pain of the racing family. Last year I didn't think it could hurt worst than losing two promising young stars like Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin in Winston Cup. Nascar was safe from scrutiny though since both happened at the same track and the track wrongfully took the brunt of the blame. However, losing Dale Earnhardt, the seemingly invincible Ironhead, at the Granddaddy of all tracks in a race he knew better than anyone was unconscionable. But, no one is blaming Daytona. Now, questions arise that Nascar cannot defend themselves against most ironically because they're greatest defender is gone due to the very circumstances THEY created! Having a death begin this season has loomed menacingly every moment and preyed on the peace of mind that drivers, teams, fans and the whole organization usually enjoys with the beginning of a fresh new season. All businesses have a good plan, but I sincerely doubt a plan was ever in place to handle an event of this magnitude.
As has been alluded to by most everyone who knows this sport, clearly these deaths are not "mistakes" by the drivers and even more clearly, not inexperience as could have been attributed to last years fatalities. From 1991-1994, Death raised it's ugly head several times in Nascar, beginning with J. D. McDuffie's death at Watkins Glen, to Clifford Allison's at Michigan, to the aerial crashes that killed Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, and then Rodney Orr and Neil Bonnett's deaths at Daytona. Fans were (heart)sick of death then but the sport still flourished. Yet, racing fans fully realize that death is a rogue factor of the sport, or at least it's supposed to be. The potential for death under normal racing circumstances exists in the midst of the most stringent safety regulations. Accidents on a track that killed a driver in the past, LOOKED like it should have. Good safety practices and products, have helped more drivers walk away from the "fatal-looking" accidents dozens of times in recent years. However, when changing the rules around for more "fan satisfaction" based on more thrilling, more intense circumstances and the ever hunted "level playing field" of parity, the odds for death's presence are raised mega-fold.
In the fall of 1996 at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt should have been killed in one of his worst wrecks resulting in a broken sternum and collarbone. No one would have been so shocked had he died then, but he didn't. Virtually nothing but the driver's compartment was left intact on that car, amazing everyone that he literally walked away. And the accident wasn't just your normal barrel rolling, spinning out of control, wall-shot accident. He was plowed into by other cars who had no idea where he was on the track. And in all those impacts with the wall and other cars while in motion, his belts held, his helmet and seat protected him, and the roll cage did it's primary job of preserving the driver's compartment. Even then, Nascar's powers-that-be noticed that the front roll bar had crushed down and took immediate action to institute what would become known as the "Earnhardt bar" to support the top bar. Ever wonder why he fared so well in that wreck? Simply because in 1997 the structure of the car was designed with lightERweight steel which naturally broke and bent away and around the driver instead of absorbing and transferring the crash impacts to the driver.
Simply only because it's a logical observation but by no means simple. CART, IRL, Formula 1 and sprint cars have the most horrendous appearing wrecks because so much of their cars BREAK AWAY. Breaking away releases the energy recieved in the impact instead of absorbing and transferring it to the human body. There are far more technical terms for all this and obviously I'm not an engineer but questions arise and the conclusions are sad. Why are the simple looking accidents killing drivers? Since when does a fatal accident not "look that bad"? Why does Tony Stewart walk away from his race ending wreck visibly shaken but in tact (though suffering a concussion), while Dale spins into the wall and doesn't survive? What is the difference in the dynamics of the wrecks today and the wrecks pre-parity hunting that began with the 1999 season? Once again, changing the rules to "improve" the show for the fans has made the sport less safe, and I don't believe any fan wants that.
The only constant in all these situations is the rules set forth by Nascar. Dale's death on a superspeedway during a restrictor plate race couldn't be explained away with a stuck throttle. Of course, the rules didn't TELL the teams to use stronger steel and add more supports, but because of the way the rules were changed, the cars needed to be stiffened up to be more competitive and stable. Granted teams adjusted their setups for the changes but they needed the extra steel and strength with the new suspension rules. And the subsequent crashes showed the warnings along the way: concussive head injuries were costing drivers time off the track and rib injuries, broken collarbones and back injuries were more commonplace. Worst of all, in less than a year, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Dale Earnhardt lost their lives. Though the sport has attracted new fans now, Nascar knows this is fleeting. The short-term benefits will make the 2001 season profitable, at least for the first half, the second half may tell a different story, but next season will be proof if the sport can endure. Nascar's decisions and actions, or lack thereof, will determine much of the outcome as well.
Nascar isn't just a "sport" anymore, but an incredibly profitable business and obviously losing drivers to unsafe circumstances isn't profitable! Fans, teams and the media are more saavy today than the early years. Mysteries aren't fashionable or acceptable. And, silence is torment, though the truth might expose the lies. The organization is in a quandry trying to recover from it's greatest loss. There's no easy out on this mess, however, no action is not the proper course of action. No action under the guise of caution breeds the discontent that creates unrest and dissension. Suspicion never benefitted anyone and Nascar is even more suspect after the Simpson fiasco. Nascar's best bet would be to drop the parity quest and control of the points races and return to the rules pre-2000. No amount of additional safety equipment can hold the brain or the internal organs in place enough to prevent internal injuries in wrecks. Backing up the rules would be the smartest move right now and show that Nascar is actively seeking a solution.
Racing isn't Russian Roulette. Most all the variables are known and all possible precautions are taken. When something is obviously wrong, something has to be done. Dissension rises from confusion and a lack of answers. With the death of Dale Earnhardt, Nascar is under fire. A fine line exists between withholding information to protect the sport and withholding information to prevent outside investigation. Nascar's silence is thunderous. Treating Dale's death like a crime investigation privately raises common sense suspicions and conspiracy theories. Nascar is a private business, but if confidence is to be cultivated in the fans (and teams), a little less privacy and more factual information sharing would reduce the growing dissension. Earnhardt was the people's champion. The teams, families and fans deserve to see Nascar being proactive and not just silently protective as though time will make everything easier to swallow. August is a long way off. Bitter is still bitter, whether now or later. Dissension now will result in disasters later that could be prevented by a few good decisions. I only hope Nascar is thinking this way, too, for their sake and all the drivers!
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