Kansas is not as sexy as Talladega, I admit. It is not a Daytona, a Darlington, and it is no Indianapolis. I think having the race named after a series of sponsors instead of seeking a real identity might have something to do with that. Still, some big names have been among the 16 winners there since they first started up the engines back in 2001.
Jeff Gordon won the first two there, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth all have a pair. Three years ago, Brad Keselowski made it nine victories for past or future kings of the clutch at the venue. Tony Kanaan won there in 2005, a year after claiming the IndyCar crown. Sam Hornish Jr, who was IndyCar royalty before trying his luck in NASCAR, won there in an open wheel contest. Both Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon have done it twice. Of ten IndyCar races run at Kansas between 2001 and 2010, the last six were claimed by one who was a champion.
In short, this track is a haven for racing’s blue bloods. Despite its lack of an identity, Saturday night’s NASCAR contest will be claimed by a driver who matters. In fact, of the last 21 Cup and IndyCar races run there, the only non-champions went by such names as Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Greg Biffle. That is a trio of pretty damned impressive names, if you ask me. Simply put, the winner this weekend is not going to be Danica Patrick. If she does, then I suggest we start watching her more closely and with an entirely different perspective.
A win at Kansas would do wonders for Stewart, who is sitting winless at 21st in the official standings. Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, and Martin Truex Jr could use the boost, as they are all mired well beyond the 16th and final Chase place.
As for determining simply the best this season, we leave the points untouched other than to reward a race winner 22 additional points. Wins and consistency both have value as we eliminate the need for gimmicks, such as the Chase. Kyle Busch remains out hottest on the year, though Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, and even the winless duo of Gordon and Kenseth are within 21 points of our leader after ten events. With the gap between first and second each week between 25 and 28 points, either of those latter two would vault to the front by just returning to Victory Lane this Saturday night.
We are closing in fast on a very prominent day in the motorsports world. The Monaco Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, followed by the 97th edition of the Indianapolis 500, and the day will conclude with the longest race in NASCAR, the Coke 600. Whoever wins these races will forever solidify their position in racing lore as others aspire to replicate previous triumphs. The talk in the racing community includes picking favorites for the races, discussing qualifying results or recalling memories from past events, but I want to look at something a little bit different than all that. On this weekend of legendary races, I want to remember some legendary racers who lost their lives in pursuit of racing immortality, and their untimely death only helped to further solidify their position in time.
We all know the names Gurney, Petty, Andretti, Schumacher, and Foyt. All are obvious legends but that’s not who I will be focusing on here. We are blessed that these brave men are still with us today and are capable of telling their astonishing tales from when they strapped into race cars wearing blue jeans and blasted to speeds nearing 200mph with no fear, only desire. Instead, I am going to talk about the legends who can no longer tell their harrowing stories. I want to remember the ones that strapped into their cars with no fear of death but unlike the men mentioned above, never came back. I mean the men that paid the ultimate price and whose stories live on only in the voices of those who are willing to tell them. Today, I want to be that voice as I take some time to remember some of racing’s fallen heroes. These are all names every race fan should know, although some unfortunately do not. I can assure you that by the time you finish reading, you will surely know every single one of these remarkable men.
Jim Clark
Photo Credit: http://www.gzlpw.com/ 1936-1968
Jim was a Scottish born racer and was one of the more versatile drivers of his time. He won in sports cars, open wheel, touring cars and even tried his hand at NASCAR. In 1965, he succeeded in winning the Indianapolis 500 with help from the famous Wood Brothers pit crew. He thought he had it won again in 1966 before a scoring debacle that officially placed him 2nd to Graham Hill. Jim had a lot of Formula 1 success, winning 25 races and 33 poles in just 72 starts. He was also crowned champion in both 1963 and 1965. Clark won titles in British Touring Cars as well as in the old Tasman Series. Nothing could shake this man and he could not be forced into a mistake. Jean-Pierre Beltoise insisted on calling him a “demi-god” when asked about Jim’s superb driving ability. His fellow competitors recognized his extraordinary talent and respected him for it while the humble Clark rarely cared to discuss how good he really was, although he knew.
In 1968, Clark was riding a high after concluding the 1967 season with back-to-back victories. He continued the streak by winning the opening round of the season in South Africa. Little did he know that he would never get the chance to make it four in succession. In April of that year, he competed in a F2 race at the notorious Hockenheimring in Germany. During the event, he crashed into a group of trees due to what was thought to be a flat tire but that was never officially confirmed. No matter what caused him to wreck, all that was certain was that we had lost Jim Clark at the age of 32. Jimmy Clark is remembered for his uncanny ability to adapt to any kind of car and excel in it. He was a man of impeccable character who never showed fear. Jackie Stewart said following Clark’s death, “He was so smooth, he was so clean, he drove with such finesse. He never bullied a racing car, he sort of caressed it into doing the things he wanted it to do”
Evans grew up in Rome, New York. At the age of 16, he left the family farm to pursue a career driving race cars. The “Rapid Roman,” as many insisted on calling him, was the King of the Modifieds. He amassed nine titles in the series, including a record eight in-a-row, which the International Motorsports Hall of Fame calls “one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports.” Along with nine championships in just 13 years, he also collected over 400 feature wins. His orange No.61 is just about as iconic in NASCAR as Dale Earnhardt’s black No.3 or the “Petty blue” No.43. If he wanted to, he could have gone and raced in NASCAR’s premier series but he was perfectly content doing what he loved and that was racing modifieds at local short tracks. He was certainly a character who loved to have fun but when he was on the track, Evans turned into a ruthless opponent that was near-infalliable. Everybody knew he was one of the greatest, he knew he was one of the greatest, but he never bragged on himself and frankly, he didn’t need to.
It was practically impossible to beat this man; he even won a race sliding on his side across the line after he and Geoff Bodine collided as they roared towards the checkered flag. His car owner said once that Richie didn’t know the words “it can’t be done.” He worked on his own cars from dusk till dawn and was a true grassroots racer. He would even help fellow competitors out with setups knowing that no matter how fast they made their cars, he’d still triumph over them in the end. In 1985, Evans clinched his 9th title with a few races remaining and was just out there to add some more trophies to his vast collection. During practice at Martinsville though, tragedy struck when the 44 year old Evans crashed heavily into the wall, perishing in the accident. His friends, family and fans were left in utter shock. After all these years, all these races, he dies in an accident during practice. Who knows how many more races and championships he would have accumulated but one thing’s for certain, what he had already accomplished was more than enough to secure him a spot in racing history. In 2011, he became the first regional racer of NASCAR to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, beating legends such as Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott and Tim Flock. He may be gone but because of the people that devoted their lives to keeping his memory alive, no one has forgotten about this true legend of NASCAR.
Fireball Roberts
1929-1964
Commonly referred to as NASCAR’s first superstar, Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts was one of the few men in the 1950’s and 60’s that could go wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Richard and Lee Petty and defeat them. Fireball was not only a talented racer, but also a pretty good baseball player. In fact, his fast ball is what earned him the nickname, “Fireball” Roberts. He never won a NASCAR championship but that is simply because he never felt like trying to. Only twice in his fifteen year career did he even run more than half the races on the schedule. In 1950, he just about won the title despite failing to start 10 of the 19 races that season. That’s how good this guy was. His 33 wins and 32 poles surpass the numbers of many NASCAR champions today including Matt Kenseth, Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett. When the helmet was off, he was a fun-loving guy who liked to joke around but when he got into that car, he morphed into a very different man. Fireball’s highly aggressive, balls to the wall style of driving, struck fear into the minds of his adversaries and captured the hearts of thousands of fans.
Fireball was a very unique driver for his time in the fact that he was a college graduate and very articulate when he spoke. In 1962, he won the Daytona 500 in dominating fashion over Richard Petty. Fireball started the 1964 World 600 (now known as Coke 600) from the 11th position but only completed seven laps before he was involved in a vicious crash that also took out superstars Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett. Roberts’ car flipped over and erupted into a fiery inferno. Ned was able to pull him from the wreckage and it seemed like he would miraculously pull through, despite his horrendous injuries, until he contracted phenomena. At 7:13am in room 3305 at Charlotte Memorial Hospital on Thursday, July 2, 1964, Fireball Roberts’ six week struggle for survival came to a tragic and unfortunate end, succumbing to blood poisoning and an incredibly high fever. Due to his death, NASCAR mandated that all drivers must wear flame retardant coveralls at all times and steel fuel tanks were replaced by rubber fuel cells.
Mark Donohue
1937-1975
The New Jersey native won the 1961 SCCA national championship, but his racing career really kicked into high gear when he met a man by the name of Walt Hansgen. He recognized the natural talent Donohue possessed and took it upon himself to give him a shot as his teammate in 1965. He edged closer and closer to a major breakthrough after finishing on the podium in both the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966. Sadly, Walt was killed that same year while testing a GT40 in preparation for Le Mans.
The following year, Donohue and another racing genius (Bruce McLaren) were paired up for Le Mans and the two clashed over setups on more than one occasion. Mark Donohue is responsible for putting car owner Roger Penske on the map and it all started when he won the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship with Penske (Evolved into what is now the Rolex Sports Car Series),and they would hold that title for two consecutive years. The pair decided to take on Trans-Am where they also dominated, winning three titles in a period of four years. Along with multiple class wins at Sebring, Donohue claimed the overall victory in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. Penske and Donohue decided to tackle Indianapolis where they would finish 7th in their first attempt. Three years later, they found themselves in victory lane after winning this highly prestigious race by a hefty margin over Al Unser. It was the first of what would be many Indy 500 victories for “The Captain,” Roger Penske. Mark also tried his hand at NASCAR with backing from Penske and in just his 5th start, he took the checkered flag at Riverside over NASCAR HOF’er Bobby Allison. It was the first win in NASCAR for the now championship winning car owner, Roger Penske.
Donohue was asked by Porsche to test their new 917/10 in the early 70’s (aka the “Can-Am Killer”) and he was more than willing to help them try to suppress the stranglehold McLaren had on Can-Am at the time. They were successful but there were certainly some bumps in the road along the way, including Mark’s violent wreck during a test at Road Atlanta. Donohue recommended larger brake ducts in order to provide more efficient cooling, which would consequently, cause less degradation as a race wears on. They obliged him but the new brake ducts interfered with the bodywork closure pins which hold the bodywork on the car. The bodywork flew off at full speed, resulting in a terrifying airborne accident that left Donohue with a broken leg, but he was lucky to escape with his life. George Follmer was his replacement while he recovered and drove the car to the 1972 Can-Am championship before Mark returned to repeat Follmer’s performance in ’73.
The pressures of racing and the death of his friend Swede Savage in the Indy 500 pushed Donohue to retire, but he didn’t stay away long. When racing is in your blood like that, it’s nearly impossible to walk away from it. It’s a hunger that you must suffice. The desire to win supersedes the fear of what could go wrong. In 1974, Donohue dominated the inaugural season of IROC, taking the championship after winning three out of four races on the schedule. Roger coaxed him into competing full-time in the 1975 Formula 1 season but the unthinkable happened towards the end of the year. He crashed violently during practice for the Grand Prix of Austria which resulted in the death of a track marshal due to flying debris. Mark seemed fine at first, only complaining about a headache. It worsened though and he was taken to a hospital the next day where he lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died. Mark Donohue is remembered as one of the most versatile drivers that ever lived and a true engineering genius who helped build Penske Racing into the powerhouse it is today.
This NASCAR pioneer lived a life style that isn’t one for the faint of heart. He loved to behave outrageously and do some pretty crazy things with best friend and fellow NASCAR legend, Curtis Turner. His antics earned him the nickname “The Clown Prince of Racing,” which he lived up to on more than one occasion. One of his favorite jokes was throwing a rubber snake at people who were of course, terrified of them. When he wasn’t busy pulling pranks on fellow drivers, he was kicking their butt’s on the racetrack. The 1953 NASCAR Modified champion won his first race at the Cup level in 1958 at Nashville Speedway.
In 1961, he teamed up with World War II veteran and NASCAR HOF’er Bud Moore and together, they won nine races, en route to a respectable 4th place result in the championship standings. He won the 1961 American Challenge Cup at Daytona International Speedway, which some people consider to be NASCAR’s unofficial first All-Star Race. 1962 was his year. After emerging victorious nine times during the year, he won the title by a massive margin over Richard Petty. Joe did something in 1963 that had never been done before or since; he won his second championship while driving for NINE different race teams! That’s a spectacular feat for any driver from any era and in any discipline. Weatherly was a stock car driver and he could care less about sports cars or open wheel. In fact, he described the American open wheel cars of the time as “cucumbers with hayraker wheels.” Between Cup, Modifieds and the NASCAR Convertible series, “Little Joe” had amassed well over 100 race wins in his career along with three championships.
One of the many wild stories involving pugnacious Joe Weatherly was when he and Curtis Turner decided to race their rental cars back to the motel and the prize for being the first one there; well it was a bottle of Canadian Club Whiskey. The two slammed fenders as they raced down the road and this should sound oddly familiar to anyone who has seen the movie “Days of Thunder” and it should…where do you think they got the idea from? As the two neared the motel, Weatherly was hell bent on winning and applied the brakes too late, ending up in a swimming pool. Soaking wet and grinning from ear-to-ear, he stood triumphant as he gulped down that coveted bottle of Canadian Club. That’s Joe Weatherly for you.
In 1964, it looked like he would win his 3rd straight championship but all that changed when NASCAR visited Riverside. Early in the race, he crashed his Mercury and hit his head on the guardrail, killed him instantly. He never got a shot at winning three in-a-row and who knows if he could have won a 4th or maybe even a 5th championship, had he survived. He was the first death of many in 1964 which is considered one of the darkest years in NASCAR history. His death prompted NASCAR to institute better roll cages to keep drivers hands and head inside the car during wrecks. He was lost well before his time and I truly believe he would have put up numbers rivaling stock car racing’s best. 50 years later, he is remembered for being a wild, on the edge character that loved to take risks, could wheel a race car better than most and most important of all, he always lived life to the fullest.
Bruce McLaren
1937-1970
I’m sure you all know of that last name even if you don’t know the face behind it. Bruce McLaren is the founder of the famous McLaren Formula 1 team and European manufacturer of high performance vehicles. In 1959, he won the United States Grand Prix at Sebring, after a riveting last lap where he made a risky pass for the lead. In 1962, Bruce emerged triumphant in the Monaco Grand Prix; arguably Formula 1’s most important race. Bruce was the inaugural Tasman champion, a 2x Can-Am titlist as a driver and the winner of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although he had a very impressive career as a driver, it’s what he put on the track that he’s best known for. His car designs won five straight Can-Am championships and even won every race on the schedule in 1969. During a test once, he noticed that the fuel filler access door was flapping up and down and common knowledge at the time said that it should be pressed more firmly in place. Well, he immediately pulled into the pits, ran to the tool box, grabbed some shears and started cutting the bodywork away from behind the radiator. When he went back out, he was turning much faster lap times and just like that, the “nostrils” were born; a key feature utilized by McLaren to this day.
On June 2nd, 1970, Bruce crashed during a Can-Am race when the rear bodywork came adrift, destabilizing the car. The 32 year old was killed instantly.He wrote this very eerie paragraph six years before his own demise when referring to the death of Timmy Mayer in his book, From the Cockpit. “The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one’s ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.” It was almost as if he was writing his own epitaph. His team is one of the most successful in F1 history winning near 200 races, 12 drivers’ championships, eight constructors’ titles and continues to win Grand Prix’s to this very day. McLaren was certainly an innovative genius, a gifted racer and his legacy will live on forever in the form of a car…fitting, isn’t it?
Dan Wheldon
Photo Credit: Michael Conroy / News Limited 1978-2011
This truly remarkable race car driver left his mark on the motorsports community in more ways than he could possibly imagine. Dan took up karting when he was just four years old. During his young career, he formed a rivalry with Jenson Button who went on to be a Formula 1 World Champion. In 1999, Dan made a decision that would change his life forever. He left Europe and moved to the United States. If he had found the funding needed to stay in the UK, he would have probably went on to be a Formula 1 World Champion but as fate would have it, he became an open wheel superstar on the other side of the pond. He quickly found success, winning the 1999 US F2000 National Championship before moving to Indy Lights in 2001 and then Indycar one year later.
In 2004, he won his first Indycar race at Motegi and ended the year as the championship runner-up to Tony Kanaan with three victories to his credit. In 2005, he obliterated the competition with six wins, as he captured his first Indycar championship. One of those wins came in the 89th running of the Indy 500 where he led 30 laps after starting 16th. In 2006, he won another historic race…the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. In Indycar, he tied Sam Hornish Jr. for the title but lost due to the series’ tiebreaker policy. When he returned to Panther Racing in 2009 after driving for both Ganassi and Andretti, he failed to reach victory lane and the two cut ties at the end of the 2010 season.
Wheldon did not have a ride in 2011 but managed to get a seat with Bryan Herta Autosport for the Indianapolis 500. It looked like Wheldon was going to finish 2nd in the legendary race for the 3rd consecutive year until race leader JR Hildebrand hit the wall just a few hundred feet from the line and no one, including me, could believe what we were witnessing. As he tried desperately to limp the car home in a shower of sparks, Wheldon blew by and stole the victory in spectacular fashion. Dan raced one other time that year…in the season finale at Las Vegas where he was hoping to win the $5,000,000 that Bruton Smith promised he would give to the winner if it wasn’t a full time Indycar driver. Obviously, that challenge set forth by Smith attracted a lot of ringers to the race and consequently, a lot of inexperience as well. The night prior to the event, Dan got his wife’s initials tattooed on his wrist and he recently found out that he would return full-time to Indycar in 2012 with Andretti as well as make his V8 Supercar debut in the Gold Coast 600 next weekend. Everything was going right for Dan Wheldon before it all went wrong on that Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.
There was an intense feeling of trepidation among the drivers as they prepared for what was sure to be a wild race with a record number of cars entered. Just ten laps into the event though, disaster struck when two cars went spinning and half the field was wiped out in mere seconds. Fans and teams looked on in horror as car after car was launched into the air flying over one another at speeds upwards of 200mph. The lucky ones weaved through the debris field in shock and multiple drivers were injured in the vicious crash but none more so than Dan Wheldon. As cars slowed in front of him, he made contact with the rear wheel of I believe Paul Tracy sending him airborne for a few hundred feet. The car tumbled through the air before making hard contact with the wall and the catch fence causing the car to burst into flames and the commentators to cringe. Dan was killed instantly when his helmet struck a post in the catch fence. Like Dale Earnhardt, he lives on through a racecar. It’s called the DW12; the next generation Indycar that Wheldon helped develop and it was named after him in his honor. It is a safer, more durable car that will hopefully prevent another tragedy like what we had to endure on October 16th, 2011. Death may have taken the man but in its wake, a legend remains.
Ayrton Senna
Photo Credit: Formula1.com 1960-1994
Ayrton Senna…..the greatest Formula 1 driver that ever lived. Michael Schumacher may have twice as many wins and seven titles to his credit but numbers aren’t everything. The remarkable way Senna could handle a race car like no other is what sets him apart from the rest Senna and longtime McLaren teammate Alain Prost were engaged in one of the most controversial and legendary rivalries in motorsports history. Their first encounter was long before they were paired up at McLaren though. Ayrton was a rookie in 1984 and stunned everyone when he started 13th in the Monaco Grand Prix and charged towards the front in treacherous wet conditions. Prost was leading the race and I can only imagine what he was thinking when he realized a rookie, in an inferior car nonetheless, was running him down. Prost used hand gestures to signal that he felt the race shouldn’t go on (even though the conditions had gotten slightly better) and the stewards listened to him…or should I say Jacky Ickx (clerk of the course) who designed Prost’s engine ended the race without consulting the stewards. Prost was declared the winner, Ickx was suspended for making the call on his own and the soon to be legendary Ayrton Senna had made his presence known.
The two became teammates at McLaren in 1988 and it didn’t take long for their relationship with one another to dissolve and turn quite hostile. Some say that Alain felt threatened by Ayrton’s arrival and that their distinctly different personalities combined with their unwavering need to out-do each other led to their now infamous rivalry. Senna once called Prost a coward in a press conference and Prost stated on another occasion that “he never wanted to beat me, he wanted to humiliate me” referring to Senna. Their tumultuous relationship came to a head in the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix. While battling for the lead in a race that would decide which one would emerge as the 1989 champion, the two collided. Prost calmly got out of his car knowing that the title was his but to his and everyone else’s surprise, Ayrton got his car fired back up and took off. After replacing his damaged front nose piece, he drove like a man possessed, winning the race and the championship. Following the event though, he was disqualified after Prost pleaded with the stewards for what most call a bogus penalty…he was disqualified for “cutting the track” when he got back going but if you look at the video, there was no other logical route to take back onto the course and he obviously gained no advantage by it. When the team protested, the stewards suspended Senna and claimed he was a “dangerous driver.” Due to the penalty, Alain Prost won the championship that would have otherwise belonged to Senna. The bridge between Prost and Senna was withering before this race and with everything that went down in Suzaka, you could say that the proverbial bridge went up in flames.
The following year, Senna would have his vengeance in the very same race. Like 1989, the politics of the sport were going against Senna and in favor of Prost. The two were once again battling for the title and started 1st and 2nd for the race. Ayrton went to the stewards because he thought hat as pole sitter, he shouldn’t be put on the dirtier side of the track. They initially agreed until FISA president and Prost’s fellow countryman, Jean Marie Balestre stepped in and rescinded the initial decision. Senna was not going to bow to the politics of the sport though. He vowed that he would do whatever he could to take the lead in the first corner, no matter the consequences. If they both were to wreck, Senna would clinch the title by the way. Surprise, surprise, the two crashed in the first corner and Ayrton Senna was crowned the 1990 Formula 1 champion.
Ayrton could put his car places that few would dare, and even fewer could pull off. Sennawas “a powerful combination of spectacular raw talent and sometimes terrifying determination” as BBC puts it. He seemed to enjoy to push the boundaries between absolute control and utter disaster saying once “On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, ‘Okay, this is the limit.’ As soon as you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” Just one of Senna’s many famous quotes.
He took the car beyond its own limits and somehow made it work with both the finesse of Jimmy Clarke and the ruthlessness of the highly aggressive Michael Schumacher. One of his greatest performances came in a rain marred race at Brazil in 1991; his home track. He amazingly held on in the slick conditions with only sixth gear, pushing himself past the point of exhaustion, and he collapsed in agony after winning the race. He won over 25% of the races he entered in, captured pole position 65 times in 161 starts and finished on the podium in half the races he was in. The 3x Formula 1 World Champion won at F1’s most difficult track (Monaco) six times including five in a row between 1989 and 1993.
In the three races he competed in during the 1994 season, Senna captured pole position for every single event. The San Marino Grand Prix on May 1st, 1994 was the final time the world would get the chance to witness this man’s incredible ability before he would be taken from us forever. On Friday, there was a vicious airborne accident involving Rubens Barrichello who escaped the crash with only a broken nose. A day before the event, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a practice accident. When a tearful Senna arrived on the scene, Chief Medical Professor Sid Watkins suggested that Ayrton retire and go fishing which is a hobby the two men shared but Ayrton told him he could never quit racing. Everyone could tell that the usually cool and collected Senna was distressed and uneasy prior to the race commencing. At the start, a crash ensued at the finish line and debris flew into the grand stands injuring eight people. Perhaps all this was an ominous warning of what was to come.
On lap seven, race leader Ayrton Senna suffered a mechanical failure and his Williams hurled towards into a concrete barrier at 135mph. The right front tore from the car and a suspension arm pierced his helmet during the wreck causing fatal head injuries. When he was extracted from the mangled car, an Austrian flag was found that Senna had apparently planned to raise following the event in honor of the late Roland Ratzberger who had died just one day earlier. Erik Comas, who’s life was saved by Senna two years earlier after a scary crash, immediately withdrew from the race. This man who spoke so eloquently and drove so ferociously striking fear into the hearts of his competitors was gone just like that. Over 3,000,000 mourners showed up for the funeral which is considered one of the largest ever next to Princess Diana’s. Since that fateful day in May of 1994, not another Formula 1 racer has lost his life due to the advancement in safety following the loss of this legend. No one before or since Ayrton Senna in Formula 1 has showed the passion and raw talent that he possessed and I doubt we will ever get the chance to witness it again.
Dale Earnhardt
Photo Credit: TONY RANZE/Getty Images 1951-2001
Dale Earnhardt; to understand what made this man so incredible you must first know where he came from. While Ayrton Senna was solidifying himself as the greatest Formula 1 driver that ever lived, Earnhardt was doing the same thing in NASCAR. He came from very humble beginnings that started in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His father Ralph was widely considered the best short track racer in North Carolina but he didn’t want his son to follow in his footsteps. Dale dropped out of high school and ignored his father’s wish as he set his sights on racing. The thing that made Dale such a formidable opponent was not only the obvious fact that he could wheel a race car better than most, but that he was willing to do whatever it took to win. If he failed, he knew that he was going to have to spend the rest of his life working at that mill in Kannapolis, North Carolina and no way was he going to settle for that. He carried that mentality through his entire career; even when he was a multimillionaire. Dale’s story is one of perseverance, tragedy, hardship and tough love. Dale lost his father when he was still relatively young, forcing him to grow up real fast. His first wife left him because he couldn’t pay the bills and Earnhardt was basically broke.
He kept fighting though and made his NASCAR debut in 1975 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing one spot ahead of a man by the name of Richard Childress. Those two had no idea at the time that they were destined for greatness with each other. In 1978, Rod Osterlund offered the young Earnhardt a one race deal at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earnhardt exceeded all expectations, finishing a very impressive 4th which prompted Osterlund to give him a full time ride in 1979. Dale won the championship in just his second full-time season in 1980. The likes of Neil Bonnett, Dan Gurney and Buddy Baker were unable to win a single race for Osterlund, but somehow this kid goes out and wins the title just like that. He partnered with Richard Childress Racing in the early 80’s and quickly took this team that ran mid-pack for years and made them championship caliber. Drivers that can take sub-par equipment to victory lane on a regular basis are a rare breed. As Dale kept winning and the money kept pouring in, the cars got faster and Earnhardt got harder to beat. Dale won six more title in 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994.
He started off as the loud mouth kid with a cowboy hat, known as “Iron head” and quickly became the most feared competitor on the tracj, commonly referred to as “The Intimidator.” He claimed he could see the air and made moves that baffled all those fortunate enough to witness it. The final win of his career came in spectacular fashion at Talladega, when Earnhardt took a car that was beat all to hell, passed nearly the entire field in just a few laps and won the race. Another example of his extraordinary talent was when he got turned completely sideways and into the grass at 180mph during the 1987 All-Star Race but amazingly, he kept the car pointed in the right direction and in the lead. He went on to win the event in the move now famously known as “The Pass in the Grass.” His driving style was rough and merciless, never willing to give anyone an inch. He once said “The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose”
Along with a NASCAR record of seven championships, he was a 4x IROC titlist and a runner-up in the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona. In 1994, tragedy struck close to Dale when his best friend Neil Bonnett was killed in a crash in turn 3 during practice for the 1994 Daytona 500; Dale would strangely meet a similar fate in the same spot seven years later. He won almost everywhere but ironically, the one race that eluded him was at the track that he won at more than any other; the Daytona 500. His 34 victories at Daytona is a record no one has even come close to but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t win the Daytona 500; NASCAR’s biggest race. He finished 2nd multiple times, ran out of fuel in the lead, blew a tire with ¼ of a lap to go, flipped over, and even hit a seagull. In 1998, a little girl in a wheel chair gave Earnhardt a penny for good luck and Dale decided to glue it to the dashboard of his racecar. Perhaps the lucky penny from that sweet little girl kept the bad luck that had plagued Earnhardt for so long here away. After 20 years of failed attempts, Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 that year and in an unprecedented move by his competitors, every member from every crew lined up to congratulate “The Man in Black.”
Three years later, Dale owned his own team and was hoping to win another 500 after his 2nd place finish in the championship at the age of 49; not many people that age still had the ability to run competitively. It was a wild Daytona 500 and late in the race, there was a scary crash where Tony Stewart flipped over wading up nearly the entire field. The very first car to emerge from the carnage unscathed was the black No.3 of Dale Earnhardt. At the end of the event, the Dale Earnhardt owned cars of Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. led the race with Dale Sr. following close behind. For the first time ever, Earnhardt drove defensively and showed no interest in going after the victory. In a very selfless act that proved costly in the end, he threw his chances of winning away and instead, intended to hold off the snarling pack of 15 drivers’ hell bent on taking the win for themselves. He succeeded; that is until the last turn of the last lap of the race. The field was spread out three wide behind him and as Dale came down to block Sterling Marlin just a few hundred feet from the line, he got hit. His car went onto the apron and Dale yanked the wheel to the right attempting to straighten it out but to no avail. He shot up the track and went head-on into the wall. During the impact, his seat belt snapped and he hit the steering wheel while wearing an open face helmet at 170mph killing this NASCAR legend instantly. The world was shocked and no one could bring themselves to believe it.
Fans loved him because he was a good ‘ol boy and drivers admired and envied his incredible abilities. Even when he was making millions, he decided to spend his days away from the track hunting and working on his farm. He was the real deal, nothing fake about him. One week after Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Steve Park won at Rockingham. Two weeks after that, rookie Kevin Harvick who took over Earnhardt’s seat won at Atlanta. Five months later when NASCAR revisited Daytona for the first time since that tragic day, Dale Jr. took the victory with none other than DEI teammate, Michael Waltrip 2nd. Dale Earnhardt affected NASCAR in so many different ways and the sport has never been the same since Black Sunday. Hans Devices became mandatory, the Car of Tomorrow was developed and safer barriers were mandated at every track that sanctioned a NASCAR race. Since his death, not a single national touring driver has lost his life and we can thank Dale Earnhardt for that. When people think of the word NASCAR, they instantly think of the name Earnhardt because he was the face of NASCAR; always was and always will be.
Epilogue
These are just nine of the many men that have paid the ultimate price, in the endless crusade to capture the checkered flag. Drivers such as Tiny Lund, Neil Bonnett, Gilles Villeneuve and Peter Brock are some that I was forced to leave out of this story due to time restrictions but they are certainly legends in their own right. Some were taken from us outside the race car too, such as Graham Hill, Tim Richmond, Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki and Colin McRae. I hope you learned something from this article and that it helped you better understand these fantastic racers and who they really were. Please share this piece so that others may know about these brave men and what they did.
There are drivers that win a lot, others that make it into Hall of Fames all across the motorsports world, but there are a select few that reach a heroic level of immortality. These nine made it to that point; they will never be forgotten and will always be missed. They race on and I’m sure it’s quite a sight up there with Earnhardt and Senna dueling wheel-to-wheel, neither giving an inch as they battle for racing supremacy. Turner and Weatherly are most likely looking on and fighting over a bottle of Canadian Club Whiskey. I bet Jimmy Clarke and Graham Hill are reminiscing about their many battles as Bruce McLaren looks over some new car designs. Mark Donohue is probably close by, trying to tell Bruce what he’s doing wrong and bragging about how the Porsche 917/10 stopped the McLaren domination in Can-Am. The Rapid Roman is certainly searching around for a short track race to dominate while Dan Wheldon looks down on his family as he waits for the day when they will be reunited. I’d like to end this with a famous quote that I think best describes these nine racers…”Heroes are always remembered, but legends…legends never die.”
“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose” –Dale Earnhardt
“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” –Ayrton Senna
“We’re far from having too much horsepower…my definition of too much horsepower is when all four wheels are spinning in every gear.” –Mark Donohue
“I’m a racing driver, always was, always will be” –Bruce McLaren
“You got to be mentally tough, you got to physically tough, you got have good endurance…it’s all part of being an Indycar series driver. It’s that kind of element of fear that makes it so exciting to watch….lose the fear, win the race.” –Dan Wheldon
Nicole Briscoe wasn’t working last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway. She got paid to be there. She again hosted NASCAR Countdown on ESPN for the Nationwide Series Friday night.
But it wasn’t work. At least, she doesn’t consider it to be. She’s simply doing what she loves and having a blast in the process. Briscoe, who started hosting the Countdown show full-time just last season, repeatedly smiled and tried finding words to express how much she loves her job.
Or at least the part of her job that has her at the track. Getting there’s a different story and Briscoe didn’t hesitate to say she could do without airport delays and TSA checkpoints.
“I feel like I’m kind of lucky because I really have fun and I work with a great group of people and I enjoy the challenges that come with it,” said Briscoe Thursday in Daytona. “It’s not that I find them challenging in a frustrating sort of way, I find them challenging in a fun and new environment.
“I’ve always said I don’t find my job difficult. I find it fun and entertaining. What I find difficult is the sacrifices you have to make in your personal life to make it happen. I get paid to do that kind of stuff. Miss out on family reunions or miss out on holidays. You miss Father’s day, you miss Mother’s day. You get stuck in airports, 200 nights a year away from your family.”
According to Briscoe that’s the hard part, the part that drains on motorsports professionals the most. For her, she’d love to be able to live in a vacuum, away from those challenges. That way she’d be a happy camper or at least happier than she already is.
“Fun,” she said of her job. “There are fans that pay to come here and pay to get to see what I get to do. I get paid to do this. This is my job. I think if everyone had as much fun doing what they do as what I do, the world would be a happier place. There isn’t a Countdown that I have done – and it hasn’t been that long – that I finished the show, looked to my left at the guys, whoever it is, and smiled and left.”
Take Daytona for instance. She flew in Thursday morning and immediately headed for the track. Her day was mostly prep work; meeting with producers and those she’d be working with. At some point there’d be a get together with the other analysis on the Countdown show, this week Rusty Wallace and Ricky Craven. What were their thoughts for the weekend?
Afterwards she’d take time to walk around the garage and get a feel for the weekend before going back and meeting with her producer. That’s the time to toss around ideas and other bullet points they think need to be in the show.
It’s during that time Countdown starts to take shape. If there’s a need to meet with NASCAR about questions or concerns, that’s the time to do it. Thursday is the short day.
Friday’s the big day. A bigger production meeting takes place with every individual who will be involved in the broadcast.
“Countdown, you know in advance in theory the topics you want to discuss,” said Briscoe. “You have it in outline form and you go into the race broadcast with that at least. You’re going to start with ‘Hi, hello,’ we’re going to show the anthem at this time. Those things are scripted and then it goes to hell from there.”
There’s no scripting a live race. But at least you can be prepared for it. There’s meetings, talking, writing and talking some more. Talking to people in the garage and those on the track. Then there’s the rehearsal for what’s called the traveling circus. Just to make sure everything is working and ready for when the lights come on.
It’s not all about NASCAR for Briscoe, but it is about speed and racing. Married to IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe, she’s never far from a track. On Thursday Nicole headed for Daytona, Ryan to Toronto for his next race. Work first for her then shed head to Toronto to be with Ryan.
“This is my last IndyCar race that I get to go to this year,” she said. “Probably the last IndyCar race I’ll even get to watch. Most of the time, they’ll be on the air and we’re on the air.”
It’s nothing new for Briscoe because as she makes it known, she had her job and career before she met Ryan. While sometimes it can be hard to keep up with it all, she reveals, “When I get to go there and I’m there, it’s like that’s the treat. That’s the special occasion. And it’s actually more relaxing.
“The only time it’s hard is when he’s on an oval. Then I get worried and I’m a little more nervous.”
Last year during the Chase, Briscoe and ESPN were in Dover while Ryan was racing at Kentucky. A fast, mile-and-a-half track where the action’s normally a big pack in tight quarters. Just like Las Vegas and Texas. Briscoe said she and even Rusty Wallace were keeping one eye on their job and the other on Kentucky. And even though she couldn’t watch what Ryan was doing or where he was, she knew he was safe.
“If that makes any sense,” Briscoe said. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens [this year]. I think we’re in Chicago and they’re in Fontana. We’ll see.”
It’s not as hard as one thinks for Briscoe to split her time. She has yet to find herself in a position where she’d rather be with Ryan than working. But that doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen.
“If it was Indy. I won’t miss Indy,” she said. “Indy is too cool, Indy is like the track, the race. I can’t – that was hard. I missed it one year and I won’t ever do that again.”
While Daytona, Richmond and the Bristol night race are on her list, the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Briscoe’s favorite track. For good reason: it’s played a major part in her life.
Indianapolis was the track where she hosted Countdown for the first time as its permanent host. Something she was more nervous about than anything she’s ever done professionally.
That’s when it became her job, when it became her seat. It was exciting, new, a little bit scary with a hint of don’t mess it up. There were thoughts of wanting people to like her, to like the broadcast. Being the new person fearing being the weak link. All those emotions wrapped into one.
“Indy hands down is my favorite racetrack,” she says. “I love Indianapolis for everything that place is because I think one, that was my introduction – my true introduction into American motorsports. And everything that place is, it gives me chills.
“When I was working at Indianapolis you’d get there for a race morning to do the five o’clock broadcast and you’d get there at three o’clock in the morning and it’s quiet and the pagoda is all lit up blue and purple and it feels like you have to whisper and tip-toe around because you’re walking on hallowed ground.
“The track is coming to life and you have to be respectful of everything. And so much has happened there that effects what we see today. Not just what we see on the racetrack, but the cars we drive. That’s where it started. So I love that track.That’s the track that’s aaahh”
There’s no stopping her from getting to Indy. For both herself and Ryan.
“That’s a really important part of his life and when you’re in a relationship you have to be able to share those important things and be apart of that person’s life,” said Briscoe.
“It’s also helpful because he’s stressed and there’s a lot of things going on and there’s not always family that can go. You want to be able to be there for each other and that’s the one.”
Something Briscoe never thought would happen. As she, or her mom could tell the story with a laugh, her career never took the path she expected. At 11-years-old she had a fascination with needing to know what was going on in the world around her.
So everyday she’d come home from school, do her homework then pull out her bright pink beanbag chair and plant herself in front of the TV. She’d watch “Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw and absorb all she could. That was her thing, back before the 24-hour news cycle and the ever-evolving Internet. And no newspaper she said, because her house didn’t get it.
In collage her life quickly found the fast track. A professor told her to immediately go find an internship. Figure out what she liked and if it was going to live up to expectations. Her internship led to a job, then another. All while she was still in school.
Then came a job in another city. Then she had an interview in another city and an eventual move to Indianapolis and switch to motorsports. That’s where Briscoe’s life changed forever.
“I was never a race person before I moved to Indy,” she said. “I had seen a racecar on the track before when watching a NASCAR race on TV. But my family was stick and ball like football, basketball, and baseball.
“Racing was never a part of our lives. So I moved to Indianapolis and when you move to Indianapolis in the month of May, [you get sucked into it]. And it happened to be the time the Pacers were playing the Heat in the playoffs and my boss wanted to go to Miami and hang out on South Beach and so he was like, let’s send the rookie [her] to the track.”
A classic case of everything happens for a reason. One things leads to another and Briscoe has experienced it her whole life. Something she’s grateful of and can now look back and laugh about.
“If you would have said to me 10 years ago, ‘You’re going to be working in racing,’ I would have thrown a bulls— flag at you,” she said with a wave of her hand and chuckle. “I would have said there’s no way, I don’t know anything about it, it didn’t even make sense.
“Now it’s crazy how much it’s so much apart of my life, both personally and professionally that literally I would have hoisted the flag, I would have saluted it. No way in hell would I have believed you.”
Now, as close as Briscoe is to racing there are still those unbelievable moments. She admits racing at Daytona and Talladega freak her out because of the unpredictability and dangers.
Talking to Briscoe though about those topics and many more is easy. She’s open and willing to talk. She gives well thought out and honest answers. When the discussion turns to Dan Wheldon and his death last October in Las Vegas in the IndyCar Series it doesn’t take long for Briscoe to become emotional.
It hasn’t even been a year yet and it’s still tough. It will most likely always be tough. Made tougher by the fact that just a week later she and the rest of her ESPN cast went on air at Talladega. It was during that time Briscoe delivered a heartfelt sendoff to Wheldon.
She becomes quiet, puts her head on her hand and glances off. The emotions coming back to her and she seemed to be fighting them.
“I can tell you now, it’s a blur a little bit,” she finally said about that weekend. “Ryan went to Australia right after the Vegas race to do a race that he had been planning on doing. I had to fly home alone. My best friend is getting married that weekend. My best friend is getting married, like my sister, the highest of the highs. But on the other side the lowest of the lows.
“I drove overnight after my friend’s wedding to Talladega. I left my friends wedding at eleven o’clock at night and arrived at the racetrack in the morning to do the broadcast.”
Briscoe pauses as she relives the memories. Having been much closer to the situation than most, it’s not surprising how much it affected her and still does.
“That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in terms of my career,” she said of the broadcast. “I just wanted to say the right words to honor his wife and his kids and to honor him. I was so afraid – I wanted to get through it, I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to cry because I didn’t want my emotions to get in the away of what I was hoping to do and to achieve.
“I think Brad Daugherty said something like, the drivers compartmentalize. They go out there and that’s their job and that’s what they do, it’s all they know. And it’s not scary for them because it’s what they do; it’s what they know. It’s scary for the people who watch and I think I pointed it out because that’s the part everyone else forgets about.”
Something Briscoe clearly remembers from Talladega is what took place during the race. When there was a crash fans cheered. Even from inside the pit studio in the infield, she heard those cheers.
“People were applauding for an accident and that bothers me,” Briscoe said. “It would have bothered me before Vegas in IndyCar. It bothers me. I remember being really, really uneasy with it that day. It was hard.”
Even harder was Briscoe talking about Wheldon. She talked about his life, his career and said his greatest gift was his legacy in the family he left behind. Many watching applauded Briscoe for the courage and strength she had of getting through the 1:15 second piece.
It was touching, it was appropriate and it well said. It was something that when asked about the idea Briscoe quickly put her hand to her heart but said it was a team idea to include it in the broadcast.
“He was a champion, he was an Indy 500 winner, he was an amazingly talented, gifted driver,” she said of Wheldon. “He’s going to go down as one of the legends in IndyCar racing. When something like that happens, the motorsports family – something happened in our family and it was natural to acknowledge it.
“What I said was something that came from me. I write what say; it comes out of my own mouth. So, I said that. I wrote it. But it was a group decision to do something about him.
“Look at what happened here eleven years ago [Dale Earnhardt’s death]. That’s a part of this sport that we can’t go out there and see what we see on a weekly basis without the dangerous sides of it and when something, whether it’s absolute tragic or someone just gets hurt like Eric McClure, things come out of it.
“The sport gets better and sometimes it takes a really awful thing to get there but you learn from it, you learn from those mistakes, you learn from those tragedies. IndyCar did, IndyCar’s still learning. NASCAR is still learning. But that’s what good about it too.”
Added Briscoe, whether she was back at the track at Talladega or somewhere else, it still would have been hard. It was still fresh. The emotions were still flowing.
Yet, for as much as Briscoe still thinks about Wheldon and his family, she and the rest of the motorsports family race on. There’s plenty of work to be done and things to watch for. On the NNS side, Briscoe has been impressed with the “emotional roller-coaster of the points battle.”
From Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse to Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish climbing into contention. It’s Hornish who Briscoe is particularly interested in watching. She calls him “a freaking legend in IndyCar, he is awesome” who came to NASCAR and was knocked down from the perch he had been on.
Now he’s back up, fighting for a NASCAR title. On the other hand, Dillon, a rookie, isn’t making very many mistakes or wrecking cars. He’s completed every lap this season. It’s making all four drivers a great storyline, each fighting and looking to prove something.
However it plays out, Briscoe feels certain about one thing, it’ll go down to Homestead. As will she, sitting in her chair in the ESPN studio covering not only the NNS but soon the NSCS, starting of course at Indianapolis on July 29.
[media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”188″][/media-credit]While every track is unique, there are certain tracks on the NASCAR circuit that can just get into a driver’s head. This weekend’s track, Talladega Superspeedway, seems to be one of those, especially given its speed, intensity and the infamous ‘big one’ that so often occurs.
“There are certain things in the 36 race season that are special,” Dr. Jack Stark, a performance psychologist practicing in NASCAR as well as other sports, said. “Obviously Daytona is special. I think Bristol has some special appeal and there are a number of tracks that do.”
“But superspeedways and restrictor plate racing, especially at Talladega, is always special.”
Another interesting psychological aspect of Talladega, as well as other superspeedways, is that literally anyone can win. The prime example of that according to Dr. Stark is Trevor Bayne’s victory at last year’s Daytona 500.
“You can be 20th with two laps to go and win it,” Stark said. “That’s another thing that is unique and keeps people glued to their seats until the end.”
Dr. Stark also credits the action at Talladega as making it especially challenging from a psychological perspective. But he believes that this weekend’s race may be especially action packed given the fact that some drivers who have been struggling this season to date may be trying very hard to turn their luck around.
“It’s been kind of a strange year so far because a lot of top drivers have had bad luck and struggled at various tracks,” Stark said. “So, yes, there will be some drivers that will be pressing.”
“Every driver has tracks where they run better, whether it is a short track, an intermediate track or a superspeedway,” Stark continued. “Some of the young guys just like to go fast and there are others who have been on dirt that like the sliding around.”
“But at this track this weekend, the drivers will be definitely going hard.”
One of the teams that may be pressing for the ‘Dega win most diligently is Hendrick Motorsports, who as a team have been trying to score that elusive 200th victory for the organization ever since the green flag dropped at Daytona.
But Dr. Stark, who has served as the team psychologist at HMS for the last eleven years, acknowledges that there is constant pressure to succeed at that organization.
“There’s always pressure on them to win,” Stark said. “In some respects, it’s come pretty easy in the past.”
“Last year, there were three drivers in the Chase but this year, the team doesn’t have a win,” Stark continued. “It’s frustrating and disappointing to the organization as it is so used to doing better.”
“The team has had some good luck and bad luck but not enough luck to win yet.”
Dr. Stark acknowledged that one driver in particular in the Hendrick organization especially feels the brunt of the psychological pressure of coming to the Talladega race weekend. But he also feels strongly that the driver and crew chief combination in place for that team will be the key to overcoming that pressure packed race.
“I don’t think there is another athlete in the world that has the following and the high hopeful expectations of the fan base that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has,” Stark said. “It’s quite amazing to walk through the garage and look at the fans who just want him to win so badly.”
“So many people root for him and care for him and he is a special guy who doesn’t want to let them down,” Stark continued. “Everybody puts a ton of pressure on him for different reasons.”
“Stevie (Letarte) is absolutely the perfect crew chief for Dale Junior,” Stark said. “I think that was one of the more brilliant moves that Rick Hendrick ever made.”
“The relationship between a driver and crew chief is all about chemistry and they spend more time together than with your spouse or girl friend,” Stark continued. “So, you’ve got to be really, really in sync.”
“Stevie is a great people person and handles Junior beautifully,” Stark said. “Stevie and Dale Junior will be ready for Talladega this weekend.”
In addition to his work with Hendrick Motorsports, Dr. Stark has further advice and counsel for all of the 43 drivers set to compete in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega this race weekend. First and foremost, he counsels the drivers must put any negative feelings right out of their minds.
“The driver just has to block out any negativity he or she may have about the track,” Stark said. “There is a feeling that you may have the best car but it’s a crap shoot at the superspeedways.”
“So, some drivers convince themselves that the racing there is not so much a function of skill but of luck,” Stark continued. “I try to convince drivers that it is a strategy race too.”
“Let’s figure out how to do this because you can be in the back and draft up and you can play the strategy game and win.”
Dr. Stark also acknowledges that lurking in the back of every driver’s mind at the superspeedways is that element of danger. He said it has been especially present since the recent passing of Dan Wheldon in the IndyCar Series in a horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last fall.
“You’re going such high speeds and things can happen,” Stark said. “It’s interesting from a psychology point of view.”
“Each driver has their own defense mechanisms,” Stark continued. “Some act like they are not into it but what I find is that every one of them wants to win and are very intense about it.”
“Some seem nonchalant and others seem very focused,” Stark said. “It all depends on their personality and is a function of past experiences at the track.”
“It’s their way of coping,” Stark continued. “Some guys have to keep busy and joke around to prepare, while others are listening to hip hop music. Each has their own approach and I have to be careful not to judge their coping mechanisms.”
“The Dan Wheldon tragedy had a huge impact on a lot of people,” Stark said. “Nobody quit driving because of it but it is in the back of everyone’s minds.”
“I do think down the road we may see drivers not driving to the Mark Martin age,” Stark continued. “If you really dug into it and talked to those who retired recently, many have promised their spouse that they would stop driving.”
Another stressful element of the sport, even though the season is young with just nine races under the drivers’ belts, is the demanding schedule imposed on all involved. Dr. Stark acknowledges that is another important element that must be managed from a psychological perspective.
“Some of the stress is not just the danger but the demands of the sport,” Stark said. “NASCAR is the most demanding sport that I’ve ever been a part of and I’ve been a part of every sport, from basketball, football, hockey, the Olympics.”
“NASCAR is just the most difficult.”
So, what would Dr. Stark’s sage counsel be for the drivers that are headed off to Talladega, one of the most physically and psychologically demanding tracks on the NASCAR circuit, for this race weekend?
“I counsel drivers to try to drive intensely relaxed,” Stark said. “I know that is a dichotomy, but you have to relax in the intensity.”
“It’s definitely all about pacing yourself,” Stark said. “You will definitely need a relaxed intensity at Talladega this weekend.”
“It’s incredible that no more than just one driver was hurt,” Mario Andretti said Monday on CNN. “Dan’s situation was a very freakish thing where his car flew right up into the catch fencing. The track is very well equipped, it is one of a few tracks to have SAFER walls all the way around, but he just missed the top of it. It was so unfortunate.”
The IZOD IndyCar Series veteran added that there needs to be nothing done. This coming after an accident that happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway sending three cars airborne, taking out another 12 cars and killing Dan Wheldon.
However, even before the race started, there was concerns from the drivers about the type of racing that was about to take place.
Will Power, who was one of the cars that went airborne, told his father Bob before the race that somebody was going to get killed out there, as according to Australia’s Daily Telegraph.
“All it takes is one mistake by one driver and it could be huge consequences,” Ryan Hunter-Reay had said before the race. “This should be a nail-biter for the fans, and it’s going to be insane for the drivers.
“To be in the middle of the field might not be the best situation early on,” Paul Tracy had added. “There is the potential for a big wreck, so we hope to stay out of that.”
IndyCar’s website had it predicted it would be a wild race with James Hinchcliffe saying in a video that, “The hot spot is every inch of the 1.5 miles. It’s such a grippy track. A place like Kentucky there are bumps and the cars move around a little bit. Here, they aren’t doing that and we are race car drivers and will take every inch that we are given and you have just eliminated the entire margin. The racing is so close and when something goes around it can really go wrong.”
As predicted, the race was crazy early on and as a result, the unthinkable happened. Two wheels touched between cars, which sent Hinchcliffe flying. Drivers behind tried to react and avoid harm but couldn’t, making contact, sending Wheldon and Power both flying from the bottom of the track to the outside wall. Wheldon’s car missed the outside retaining wall, as the top of the cockpit with the driver is exposed hit the catchfence. As a result, Wheldon was pronounced dead two hours later due to head injuries.
The drivers knew right away that it was ugly and what had been hinted of before the race just driving through the debris.
“It was just a chain reaction, and everybody slowed down, got bunched up again and there were more crashes that started behind it,” Scott Dixon told Sports Illustrated. “It’s unfortunate because everybody knew it was going to happen. You could see it from Lap 2 people were driving nuts. It doesn’t even matter the speeds – you can’t touch with these cars.”
“It was like a movie scene which they try to make as gnarly as possible,” Danica Patrick, who was running her last IndyCar race before moving to NASCAR, said. “It was debris everywhere across the whole track. You could smell the smoke. You could see the billowing smoke on the back straight from the car. There was a chunk of fire that we were driving around. You could see cars scattered.”
This wasn’t a surprise at all to anybody as the warnings were there before the race even started. Many drivers had warned series officials, including this year’s champion Dario Franchitti.
“You know I love hard racing, but that to me is not really what it’s about,” he said after the accident. “I said before we even tested here that this was not a suitable track for us, and we’ve seen it today. You can’t get away from anybody. There’s no way to differentiate yourself as a car or a driver. People get frustrated and go four-wide and you saw what happened.”
For NASCAR, the track is fine as if they rub fenders, it’s just known as minor contact and everybody can continue. Though for IndyCar, there are no fenders there so they rub wheels. The rubbing of wheels creates a dangerous situation as the touch sends another car wrecking, and probably after taking flight.
As Tracy noted on CNN, “The IndyCars now, they spec the cars to where they want cars to run a bit more in the pack like NASCAR, and these cars are not designed to run and bang wheels with each other at 220mph. Our wheels are exposed, NASCAR are closed body cars like street cars, so once you have two cars touch each other, you don’t have any control of what can happen.”
The current aerodynamics brings forth the pack racing and with speeds exceeding 220 mph, drivers don’t have the time to react. If they do react, due to being in a freight train format, the person behind them may not. As many have repeated, the increased field size of Las Vegas from a normal field under 20 cars to 34 cars increased the risk.
If IndyCar wants to keep with the current aerodynamics, the oval pack racing that is seen needs to go. However, this doesn’t mean to remove all oval tracks, like Iowa and Indy, should not be removed as they’re not as fast and you see drivers have the ability to get spread out.
The dismissal of oval tracks is just a start, though. Wheldon’s death was more due to the open cockpit contact with the catch fence.
One suggestion is closed cockpits as Ryan Briscoe tweeted, “I’d like to see future IndyCar/Open Wheelers with closed cockpits one day, like modern Le Mans LMP1 cars have today.” The only problem would be debris and dirt making it hard to see, however a simple solution of tear-offs could solve that.
The other solution is maybe to look at changing the catch fence design.
“Even with the new technologies that have come about in the last 10 years, nothing has changed when it comes to the catch fencing,”Tracy explained to Sirius Speedway. “We saw it with Carl Edwards at Talladega, and we saw it again Sunday with Dan. When cars get into the fencing, it acts like a spider web. It grabs them and tears them to pieces.”
Whether you take suggestions given or others come about, change is needed. Dan Wheldon dying along with Will Power suffering back pain, J.R. Hildebrand suffering from a severely-bruised sternum and Pippa Mann with a severely burned finger is too much. A repeat of what happened would be horrendous as images and descriptions of Sunday already go too far.
“It was like driving through a war zone,” Briscoe said after the wreck. “We all predicted something like this would happen.”
That prediction factor is what haunts IndyCar racing now because as more people learn the details, they seem to find themselves blaming IndyCar’s head brass. For them instead of IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard taking care of a problem, they see an image of him liking the style of racing.
“I was watching practice and it was unbelievable,” Bernard told Sports Illustrated after practice. “Three wide at more than 220mph.”
Once again, practice on Thursday showed more warnings, yet nothing done. That’s how the situation is read. That’s why you may see big names leave IndyCar.
“I’ve warned him to give up for awhile,” F1 Champion Jody Shecter said of son Tomas. “Hopefully this will knock some sense into him and realize there is more to life. It really isn’t worth it.”
Tracy says he’s reconsidering after seeing Wheldon die before his eyes and after hearing concerns from his family.
Power, who broke his back at Infinion Raceway, a road course, in 2009 “has taken time off to collect his thoughts and reconsider his future” as per Australia’s Daily Telegraph. His father, Bob, said he’d be okay with a change.
“It wouldn’t worry me if he walked away and tried something else,” Bob Power said. “I would like him to have a go at Formula 1 or something like that, because it is a hell of a lot safer than running around ovals in IndyCar. I would much rather him run on road circuits because ovals are a worry.”
The concern was there from the start and are still there. Easily people are going to blame the head brass as stated, but there’s of course another side to the coin.
In 2000, the drivers chose to boycott the race at Texas Motor Speedway due to concerns after feeling dizziness in practice.
Many could question why they didn’t choose to boycott this race. Was it due to fears of what might have been said if they did? If so, does that overcome the fear of risk and safety? Easily nope, so many should also look to the drivers as to why they still ran the race.
Looking back at Las Vegas no matter the opinion of what happened and how, only hope of change for the future can help us in looking back at what happened.
“This is a huge tragedy for IndyCar but I hope that out of the tragedy comes some good in terms of improving more in safety,” Tracy said. “Like when Greg Moore died and Dale Earnhardt Sr., and now Dan Wheldon. The innovations that came out from that in terms of improving driver safety need to be kicked up a notch. We hope that is what will happen.”
In the process of writing this column about Charlotte and the 5th Chase race the unthinkable happened. The world of motorsports lost a champion and a hero. Somehow, the hush from the TV and the change in tone from Eddie Cheever made the reality of the situation very clear. Marty Reid stumbled over his words. The safety workers on the track had that familiar rush and desperation in their movements. I was taken back to a memory that is still too fresh to revisit. Daytona 2001. But this can’t be happening we have made all these changes. We have stepped up safety and safety management. How can we be looking at the same kind of tragedy?
[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]In the process of following motorsports our lines tend to blur. We forget different series different rules. We forget that as much as we may complain and moan about NASCAR’s rules and rulings, they are at the very top of the game in safety. But NASCAR is not safe either. 200 mph in a 3600 lb car that hits an unmovable concrete wall safer barrier or not, and hits it at the right angle, hans device or not, and tragedy can and will result.
Many NASCAR fans seem to forget this as they cheer loudly when drivers that are not their favorite wreck or are involved in a wreck. Saturday night was a good example. Jimmie Johnson hit the wall at 189 mph dead head on hard enough to lift the car off the ground. Please note the safer barrier didn’t break. It gave as it is suppose to but it didn’t break. What broke was an extremely well built piece of machinery. Although Jimmie climbed out and walked away, the in car camera told the story far better. He continued to slump in the seat and drop his head. He sat slumped forward in the drivers seat for a short time before letting the net down and climbing from the car. He was dazed and seemed turned around as he was lead to the ambulance. Although he was checked and released from the infield care center, Johnson was pale and shook up when he gave his interview.
The cheers from the stands were gross and tactless. They illustrated not passion for the sport or a driver but ignorance on the part of those who were blind enough not to see how close our sport came to losing a young vibrant champion and hero. After having been there at the loss of too many of my heroes I was sickened and disgusted at the display. How could they not remember Daytona in 2001? How could they not remember New Hampshire in 2000? For God’s sake how could they not remember the waiting for days after Michigan in 1994? The waiting and not knowing for word on Ernie Irvan. How could they possibly behave like this? My answer came from a source that often supplies my answers, because they weren’t there. Because they are too ignorant to understand that these guys can be gone in the blink of an eye. Because many though they claim to be life long fans of the sport were not fans in 2001 or were not old enough to grasp what happened. To them the names Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Steve Irwin and Adam Petty are historical. They weren’t there. They don’t understand the loss of a hero and a champion.
IndyCar fans had been spared the loss of a hero since 2006. Sheltered much like NASCAR fans with the reassurances of the sanctioning body that the cars were safe. The tracks were safe. The drivers and fans were safe. A misconception that NASCAR and IndyCar promoted and encouraged. But it’s still a misconception. A dangerous lulling into complacent behavior and lack of concern on the part of fans and drivers a like.
Drivers who allow their tempers to control their behavior and use a 3600 lb car as a weapon have bought into that complacency. Fans who cheer when a driver hits the wall have bought into that complacency. People regardless of who they are or what form of motorsports they follow who believe that the sport is safe are niave and unfortunately stupid.
NASCAR was fortunate, our champion is sore and bruised but he will race again at Talladega. IndyCar was not so fortunate and they mourn the loss of one of their champions in Dan Wheldon. It is time for those of us who buy tickets and t-shirts to say to our sanctioning bodies lets look at it again. Are we truly doing everything we can do to keep our heroes safe? In NASCAR is a car with no down force and too high of a center of gravity the best we can do? Is the risk at Talladega worth it? If we are going to spend millions of dollars on something shouldn’t it be making the cars race able around other cars? And shouldn’t the drivers be the ones to tell us that the cars are race able since they drive them? IndyCar needs to take responsibility and make conscious decisions about the type of tracks they race on and what does and doesn’t constitute safe race conditions.
It’s much to soon to point fingers and find blame. We may never know who is to blame. In truth it doesn’t matter who is to blame the price is the same. The time is here to give thanks for the good fortune of one young champion and ask for the blessings and love and comfort for the family of another. The time is here to examine our behavior and our actions and ask ourselves, how would I have felt if the out come was different in Charlotte? Allow me to be the source of that answer, It hurts people It hurts like hell.
~~~~~ **** ~~~~~
Congratulations to Carl Edwards on his NNS win at Charlotte. Even with a wrecked car Carl showed that although Ducks prefer to swim they have wings and can fly.
Congratulations to Ron Hornaday on his 51st win. More and more I am convinced that the Camping World Truck series will be a lesser place without Ron Hornaday on the track.
Congratulations to Matt Kenseth on his victory in the Sprint Cup Series.
It is with a heavy and sad heart that I wish Susie Wheldon and her sons all of the strength and support and love that the world can offer her. Thoughts and prayers are with you.
Also thoughts and prayers and sympathies to the family of Off-road Champion Rick Huseman and his brother Jeff who died in a plane crash this afternoon in Barstow.
At times like these this means perhaps more than I intend for it to mean every week. To all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.
Sunday afternoon, two time Indianapolis 500 champ Dan Wheldon died in a horrific mult-icar crash in Las Vegas.
[media-credit name=”indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Weldon, 33, was in the running for the $5 million if he won the race. The officials stopped the race and had a meeting with the other drivers and were informed of Wheldon’s passing. When the race resumed, pit crews lined pit road weeping and trying comfort each other.
“I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff. I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it’s about. One small mistake from somebody. Right now I’m numb and speechless,” he said.
“One minute you’re joking around in driver intros and the next he’s gone. He was 6 years old when I first met him. I told his son Thursday night at the parade on The Strip that I’ve known his dad since he was your age. And then I talked to a friend of mine, Jesse Spence, that I used to race go-karts with that we’ve known him since he was this little kid. His mouth worked plenty good, but he was just this little kid and the next thing you know he was my teammate in INDYCAR. We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn’t matter.” Franchitti said about the death of his long time friend.
Wheldon leaves behind his wife Susie Behm, 2 year old son Sebastian, 16 month old son Oliver his parents and three siblings.
Following a wreck on lap 12 of the IZOD IndyCar Series Season Finale race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 33-year-old Dan Wheldon has died due to injuries sustained in the crash.
“IndyCar is sad to announce that Dan Wheldon passed away from unsurvivable injuries,” IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family. INDYCAR, its drivers and teams have decided to end the race. We will run a five-lap salute in honor of Dan.”
Following the press conference of the announcement, the 19 cars that were not involved did five-laps around the track in a 3-wide formation.
The incident happened on lap 12, which saw three cars catch air and involve a total of 15 cars. Multiple replays show the top of Wheldon’s cockpit hitting the catch fence, breaking the hoop.
“I saw two cars touch each other up in front of me and then I tried to slow down, couldn’t slow down,” Paul Tracy told ESPN. “Then Dan’s car, from what I saw in the videos, came over my back wheel and over top of me. Just a horrendous accident.”
“The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something,” Ryan Briscoe added. “I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere.”
Will Power was transported to hospital following the incident, complaining of back pain, though has since been released. Pippa Mann and JR Hildebrand were also transported to hospital. They both will be kept overnight for observation.
Wheldon was the 2005 IndyCar Series Champion and won theIndianapolis500 twice, including this year’s running. This past season, Wheldon had been running a part-time schedule due to no ride while also testing the new IndyCar for next season.
Wheldon was expected to join Andretti Autosport to compete full-time next season. He leaves behind his wife Suzi and two children.
As a result of the race being canceled, Dario Franchitti wins his fourth IndyCar Series Championship.
IndyCar officials announced last week that Bryan Herta Autosport has been selected as the testing organization for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series project with Dan Wheldon as the lead test driver.
[media-credit name=”indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”258″][/media-credit]”I think it’s super important,” Bryan Herta, co-owner of Bryan Herta Autosport, said of the team’s role in testing the car in last week’s teleconference. “We all ‑‑ everybody’s excited about the new car, what it’s going to look like, how fast is it going to be, you know, there’s going to be different engines going into it.
“So it’s important for us to make sure that the car is fast, reliable, safe, all those things, so that by the time it’s out on track and the public is seeing it, that it’s a finished product and something that everybody’s going to want to come out and watch racing next year.”
The team will begin testing in August and September, with all teams recieving the new chassis on December 15th.
Wheldon, who won the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 last month, has been involved in testing situations like this before as he used to be a test driver for Honda.
“I think with something as serious as this, it’s not about achieving goals for yourself, it’s about achieving goals for everybody involved,” he said. “It’s, for me, a job that I’m going to take very, very seriously.I’m thankful to the IndyCar Series for giving me the opportunity.But there’s a lot you have to undertake.We need to make sure that the product that the IndyCar Series puts out towards the end of this year, beginning of 2012, is something that primarily the fans get very excited about, but also the teams and drivers. And obviously we want to make sure that the product we put out is incredibly safe. So it’s not, I would say, about achieving goals for myself, it’s more about achieving everything the manufacturers associated with the program want to achieve.
“And I think that’s why it’s very good to have Bryan Herta Autosport involved.We saw the job they were able to do at the Indianapolis 500.It’s great that Dalara are involved. They’ve put together a great car, and the car that we’ve been using for a long time now has produced incredibly great racing.It’s been very close but also from a safety standpoint it’s been good. And we’ve also got the involvement with Honda and Firestone.So everybody involved, I think, has goals to achieve and my job is about helping them achieve them.”
The team’s co-owners also have experience with being a part of test teams as Steve Newey, the other co-owner, was involved in setting up the Firestone test team back in the mid-nineties when they were talking about coming back into the series. With the past experience, they know the challenges that they’re facing.
“Well, some of the challenges, you know, are very similar to what a race team faces every race weekend or every test event,” Newey said. “And that is conducting the testing in a very practical manner, first of all, and conducting it in such a way that all the various invested parties get what they’re looking for in terms of results.
“So it’s a very tedious process.It can be at times it can be downright boring, frankly, because you’re not out there competing and racing against other teams and other drivers. So it’s about accumulating miles and confirming the structural integrity of all the components that are highly stressed and it’s a very methodical approach, and we’ve got a great team put together.
And I think I’m looking forward to it and it reminds me a lot of the program we did put together for Firestone back in 1994, and I might add that was a very successful program. And we’re taking this very serious, as Bryan said, and we’re looking forward to the challenge in providing each constituent that’s involved in the testing program with the conclusion that they’re looking for.”
Herta went on to say that the testing set to take place will be extensive as they play to visiting tracks weekly through the two months, including all different types of circuits. He added that it will be done with the new V6 motor, also, starting with Honda’s entry as it’ll be the first one ready, though other manufactures will have to chance to be tested throughout the two months.
Bryan Herta Autosport has been a team that has always fielded full-time Firestone Indy Lights entries, though never stepped up it up that much for the top level. With the win, they are now looking towards the future in what that could bring them.
“We’re looking forward to what that means for the future of our organization,” Herta said. “It’s no secret that we’re very happy with Dan, that our goal is to race full season in 2012, that all things being equal we’d love to do that with Dan.So I think we’re working in that direction. I think being part of this test program and the continuity that we bring over from the Indy 500, it’s the same group of guys, same driver, same people involved.We can transition seamlessly into the test program.Ideally out of the test program we’ll be able to transition into a full season program for next year.
“In terms of racing for this year, you know, theoretically right now on the schedule we’d be done in time to get to Vegas for the finale.And it’s something we’ve talked about, but our focus is on make prognosis sure we do a good job for this test program and really trying to gear up for next season.”
This year, Bryan Herta Autorsport has been working with Duarte Ferriera and getting him up to speed with the open-wheel cars.
“He’s done a great job for us,” Newey said of him. “And he’s progressed significantly from early this year when we started testing with him, and especially on the ovals. He’s performed like he’s been racing on ovals all his life. And he’s just taken to it like a duck in water, because he’s very aggressive on the ovals when he needs to be, and he’s smart when he’s in traffic, and he’s been able to generate his best finish of the year so far last race at Iowa he finished fifth.
“And we’re very pleased with his performance.He’s a very dedicated driver.His fitness regimen is more difficult and more stringent than many drivers I’ve been associated with in the past, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him and we’re real glad to have him, and we’re expecting bigger and better things out of him as the season progresses.”
The win is also been a key marker for Wheldon to speak of after coming into the year without having a ride and now maybe having the Indianapolis 500 win to lay back on for 2012.
“I was very confident at the end of last year that I would actually get something full time for this year,” he spoke of during the teleconference. “And that didn’t pan out.So I really don’t like to speculate on that stuff anymore, because clearly I’m not very good at that. But, you know, I will say:I think for me to come back for the Indianapolis 500 and have such a successful month and also a very enjoyable month with everybody from Bryan Herta Autosport, it’s really made me desperate to get back on the grid, but it’s got to be in the right situation.
“For me, I would love to be able to continue with Bryan and that’s what we’re all working towards, but we’ll just have to wait to see if that pans out in the future. But I certainly don’t think it’s hurt my chances, but in terms of am I confident that I will secure something for 2012, I think we’ll just to wait and see right now.”
Another advantage for Wheldon as he is looking for a ride in 2012 will be the laps under his belt with the new car.
“Well, I think it’s going to give me, I think, extensive mileage in the car,” he said of the testing. “You know, is that an advantage? Yes, probably. But for me, it’s not about getting an advantage over everybody else to be in a car for 2012. I think, as you know, I’ve done this kind of thing before with Honda, and it’s something that I took very seriously.
“I think if you know my personality you know how serious I would take it. It’s about ‑‑ I want to come out of this test program with everybody saying: You know what, Dan was extremely disciplined and did a great job. And if ever we do something like this again ‑‑ and this goes for all the manufacturers involved, we’d love to have him do it. That’s the kind of job that I want to do. And, yeah, I think obviously with the amount of mileage people are expected to do, it’s track time in a new car that no one else would have been in.
“So for sure it’s an advantage.But by the same token, from what I understand, it’s going to be pretty much open testing until St. Pete. So that will get swallowed up pretty quickly. It’s about being in a car as well for me.I haven’t been in one since Indianapolis, and I’m pretty desperate to get back in one.”
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