Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted to nearly crying when he saw Austin Dillon become airborne and launch into the catchfence along the front stretch at Daytona International Speedway. Jeff Gordon associated the style of racing that led to the terrifying crash as something out of a video game — except in real life.
As for Dillon, he had a difficult time rationalizing what had just transpired. Partially he exuded macho bravado — “It is a tough sport and it’s what racing is about and it is why NASCAR has been here for so long,” he said. But he also condemned the nature of close-quarters restrictor-plate racing, which sees drivers clumped together in a tight pack they cannot escape while running speeds flirting with 200 mph.
“It’s not really acceptable, I don’t think,” said Dillon, who escaped with nothing more than a bruised forearm and tailbone. “We’ve got to figure out something. I think our speeds are too high, I really do. I think everybody can get good racing with lower speeds. We can work on that and then figure out a way to keep cars on the ground.”
That Dillon’s accident didn’t produce a direr outcome is attributed to many factors. Foremost, credit goes towards NASCAR for the many safety initiatives that prevented a tragedy in the wee Monday morning hours.
NASCAR has devoted significant time and money to developing a car built to withstand such an impact so that a driver can walk away unharmed. The car may not compete to a satisfactory level, but it speaks volumes that no driver has died in a national series race since 2001. Dillon is just the latest in a long line of individuals who can attest to the construction of a car in which the cockpit is more centralized with greater reinforcement.
And the catchfence certainly did its job. Almost instantly, Dillon’s car was prevented from ascending into the grandstands. Had the fencing failed, the result would likely have been comparable to when a multi-car crash killed 83 spectators during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955.
Terrifying Wreck
Terrifying Wreck
Although greater vigilance is needed in some aspects of safety, particularly installing additional SAFER barriers, there is no denying that this is the safest period NASCAR has ever experienced in its long history. Whereas fatalities were once commonplace, they’re now a rarity.
But while the sanctioning body’s many safety initiatives deserve praise, there’s no refuting how good fortune has also played a prominent role in NASCAR’s current run of exemplary health — by its drivers and fans alike.
Dillon was the fourth driver to somersault through the air and into the catchfence at the start/finish since 2009. All four instances came on the final lap of a restrictor-plate race at either Daytona or Talladega Superspeedway. Each time the vehicle disintegrated into an infinite number of pieces, spraying shrapnel across the front grandstand and injuring fans.
When Carl Edwards tore down the catchfence at Talladega in 2009, a 17-year-old high school senior was struck by a piece of debris that broke her lower jawbone. Multiple surgeries ensued, though the woman eventually made a full recovery.
In 2012, Joey Coulter ripped apart the fence during the Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona. Two fans were injured, one going to a hospital for treatment.
Two years ago, Kyle Larson experienced an accident eerily similar to Dillon’s when he took flight during the February Xfinity Series at Daytona. Like Edwards and Coulter, Larson walked away unscathed, but 28 fans were not as lucky. Off-site medical attention was needed by 14 of them, though they, too, made complete recoveries.
On Monday, there again were minimal injuries, including 13 fans. Eight declined medical attention, four received treatment at the track, and another was transported to a nearby hospital and later released.
That the Edwards, Larson and Dillon accidents all came as they sped towards the checkered flag in a restrictor-plate race is not happenstance. Combining high speeds with a large number of cars separated by mere inches almost guarantees calamity.
“It’s just a product of going 200 miles an hour,” said Earnhardt, who won Sunday. “These cars are going fast and when you put them in odd, rare circumstances like that, they’re going to go up in the air. We do everything we can and have made a lot of changes and incorporated a lot of things into these cars to try to keep them on the ground, but in those imperfect situations, there’s not much you can do about it.
“It’s very dangerous. Racing has always been very dangerous. Fortunately for us we’ve gotten better and safer in the last 100 years. It’s changed tremendously.”
But while drivers accept the risks, should fans be under a similar obligation when they purchase a ticket? Is attending a race an acknowledgement that you’re putting your own life in danger?
Of course, things can and will always happen. Fans can never have their safety guaranteed 100 percent of the time, and that’s an issue not specific solely to NASCAR. Last month a woman attending a Boston Red Sox game was hit by a broken bat and suffered what police said were life-threatening injuries.
But cars sailing into fences and precariously close to the grandstands shouldn’t be the norm. And four occasions over a seven-year span is a number that is far too high.
“I hope all the fans and @austindillon3 are ok,” AJ Allmendinger tweeted after Sunday’s race. “I don’t know how many cars we need to keep sending into the grandstands before we fix this.”
Except while everyone agrees a solution needs to found, the answer isn’t obvious. Slowing cars down may work, but if pack racing remains then the likelihood still exists that cars will continue soaring. And allowing drivers to run Daytona and Talladega without a restrictor-plate is outlandish. The high speeds — easily in excess of 220 mph — would make the cars even more susceptible to lifting off the ground.
Perhaps it’s time to consider the once unthinkable, that Daytona and Talladega should scale down their banking through the corners to eradicate pack racing? But that too presents challenges. Ticket sales and television ratings would surely decline further due to the allure restrictor-plate races hold over the fan base. And with each venue part of the publicly traded International Speedway Corp., reconciling the lost revenue would be difficult for such an expensive venture.
If there is a straightforward answer to a problem that is quickly reaching epidemic proportions, it would seem moving the grandstands back away from the track. Undoubtedly there would be gripes about being further removed from the action, a closeness and accessibility NASCAR promotes prominently. But as Larson’s accident showed, even fans not sitting up close to the fence weren’t immune from getting showered with debris, as those in the upper sections were also struck.
What’s clear is that while the options may not be pleasing, change must come in some form and soon. Because by doing nothing, the consequences become far grimmer.
