Tag: death

  • The Dangers of Sprint Car Racing: Tony Stewart Injured & Kramer Williamson Killed

    The Dangers of Sprint Car Racing: Tony Stewart Injured & Kramer Williamson Killed

    The racing community woke up to some very shocking news Tuesday morning. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart broke his right leg in a Sprint Car crash at Southern Iowa Speedway and will miss Watkins Glen. Max Papis has been selected to drive the car in Tony’s absence. Just two days prior, Sprint Car Hall of Famer Kramer Williamson was killed in a crash at Lincoln Speedway; the 7th Sprint Car fatality of this year alone. Deaths like his are a poignant and cruel reminder of just how dangerous racing can be. The sting from the tragic loss of Jason Leffler is still at the forefront of all our minds and these latest incidents have only fueled the fire as people call for immediate action to make Sprint Car racing safer.

    There are two kinds of people caught up in this great debate that are doing nothing but making false and inaccurate statements with their bleating comments on social media. You have the ones who believe the proverbial sky is falling and are calling for a ban of the “suicidal” Sprint Cars…those people have little to no knowledge of open-wheel dirt racing and need to stop talking about something they know nothing about. There are also the shortsighted, grass-root race fans who ignorantly deny the dangers and believe that their racing is completely safe. Both contingents refuse to be swayed away from their opinions but fortunately, there are ones that are actually willing to discuss the topic with an open mind and with intelligent remarks.

    It’s no secret that Sprint Car racing is among one of the most dangerous forms of professional motorsports out there today but still, they’ve come a long way from what they used to be. I look at Sprint Car racing right now and I see NASCAR back in the late 90’s. NASCAR was frequently losing drivers and mourned their losses but failed to do anything to prevent future tragedy’s. We watched and endured as John Nemechek, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper perished due to people who were too close to the forest to see the trees. We were set in our ways and just accepted death as a tragic part of racing without asking the tough questions that could have saved lives.

    Then Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 and everything changed. No longer would death be tolerated or an acceptable occurrence. One fatality suddenly became one too many for the racing community and NASCAR decided to act. They were fought every step of the way though by the very drivers they set out to protect. Racers did not like the HANS device and containment seats because they limited their movement and vision. The resistance of the new safety devices eventually ceased and everyone started to embrace the new technology. Not a single national touring driver has died in a NASCAR race since that dark day in Daytona.

    USAC and World of Outlaws now face the same challenge that NASCAR did 12 years ago. They must protect these drivers and also satisfy the needs of these daredevils who will be whipping these cars around dirt tracks across the United States for years to come. After we lost Jason Leffler, serious talks began behind closed doors as the men in charge discussed how they can refine their protocols regarding safety. Now that we are burying a Sprint Car legend and a NASCAR superstar has been injured; those talks are becoming much more serious and a bit more incensed. Warnings and theories do not resonate with us like they should but death and injuries do because that unfortunately gives credence to the warnings that we just didn’t want to believe.

    There is a great disparity between NASCAR and its open-wheel brethren in regards to safety. Once you get past all the bleating comments, disregard the people who say these cars are innocuous and stop calling for imprudent decisions with remarks backed by beleaguered feelings; one obvious fact becomes clear. The technology to make these cars and the racing safer already exists; it simply needs to be implemented and it will be. Open-wheel dirt racing is on the brink of a new era of safety innovations that will save countless lives and change the landscape of the sport forever.

    With these improvements in safety, death will quickly become a stranger who rarely crosses our path instead of a frequent visitor whose presence is awaited with intense trepidation. Death will always return though whether we want it to or not; you can’t run away from it but we can definitely hinder its progress. No matter how many more friends we lose; be assured that these brave men and women will never give up their passion. Racing isn’t a hobby; it’s something that is embedded deep within the DNA of racers and the desire to race supersedes every other emotion including the fear of death itself. We bury the fallen with tears, embrace the ones who escape death’s firm and final grip with relief and race on because that’s what racers do.

  • Remembering Jason Leffler

    Remembering Jason Leffler

    Late Wednesday night, we received the tragic news that Jason Leffler was killed in a Sprint Car crash in Swedesboro, New Jersey. He was 37 years old and leaves behind a five year old son named Charlie Dean. When I heard the news, I couldn’t bear to believe it just like the rest of you. The racing community is a family and always comes together in times like this. Jason Leffler and #LEFturn were trending worldwide as drivers and fans alike took to Twitter to mourn the loss of a good man who like so many others, was taken much too soon.

    Leffler was a real grassroots racer who loved to play in the dirt and he did so better than most. In 1997, he became a USAC National Midget champion and went on to win 3 consecutive titles in that division. It was the first time since 1962 that a driver won three midget titles in succession and no one has done it since. In 1998, he won the USAC Silver Crown championship joining NASCAR legends Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon as champions of that series. Some of his major short track victories include the 1997 Hut Hundred, the 1999 Copper Classic and two Turkey Night Grand Prix’s. His success in USAC caught the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing who put him in a Nationwide car for select races in 1999. He ran his first full Nationwide season in 2000 finishing 20th in points. He also made his one and only start in the Indianapolis 500 that year placing 17th.

    In 2001, he moved to the Cup ranks with Chip Ganassi and struggled to find success although he did win a pole and post a top 10 at Homestead; the only pole of his Cup career. In 2002, he went to the Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) and put in a solid effort earning 4th place in the standings. Jason was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. After an impressive season in the CWTS, he began to jump around running part-time schedules in all three national touring divisions of NASCAR. Nashville Superspeedway in 2004 was the site of Leffler’s first Nationwide victory when he held off Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer in the closing stages of the event.

    Joe Gibbs Racing signed Jason to drive their newly formed Cup team with sponsorship from FedEx in 2005. With pressure from a big time sponsor like FedEx to perform, Gibbs decided to replace him mid-season with Denny Hamlin. In 2006, he went back to the Nationwide (NNS) ranks with a full-time ride courtesy of Todd Braun. He continued to run full-time in NNS until 2011 with his best season being 2007. He finished 3rd in points and won what would be his final NASCAR race in thrilling fashion that year. He battled fiercely with David Reutimann and Greg Biffle in the closing laps trading paint and rubbing fenders as he tried desperately to hold on. He refused to lose and after David passed him, he came right back at him and muscled his way by. After running Biffle up the track with three to go, he put the pedal to the floor and drove off taking the checkered flag. That was also Toyota’s first win in the Nationwide series. Kyle Busch put him in a truck for a handful of races in 2012 and Jason finished top 10 in six of his ten starts with a best result of 4th. His last flash of greatness in NASCAR came in the July NNS Daytona event back in 2011 when he drove from outside the top 10 with just one lap remaining to finish a very close 2nd to Joey Logano.

    Jason Leffler Sprint Car
    Jason Leffler Sprint Car

    He made his final Cup start a Pocono last weekend before a Sprint Car race at Bridgeport Speedway. While running 2nd in the dirt race, he lost control and flipped into the wall. Jason was killed on impact and the racing world is still stunned by this unfathomable loss. It’s been a long time since we’ve lost an active NASCAR driver like this and the mood is somber as we all reluctantly gear up for a weekend of racing at Michigan International Speedway. Leffler will be remembered as an aggressive driver who never gave an inch and fought tooth and nail for every position. After getting into it with Sorenson once, Reed said to Leffler, “if you had lifted, we both would have made it through there.” Jason simply replied, “I don’t lift.” Just one of the many examples of what kind of competitor Leffler was. Panther Racing owner John Barnes was quoted saying, ” Jason was a small man with a huge right foot.”

    Jason was a devoted single father who adored his son and had an unshakable passion for going fast. His determination to win was incorruptible and even through all the hardships, he pushed on, he persevered,  he refused to give up. This phenomenal talent could push a car to the absolute limit, teetering on the edge of disaster with no fear or trepidation of what could happen should something go wrong. His tenacity behind the wheel was awe-inspiring and his goofy, yet friendly personality will be remembered with smiles and with tears. We lost more than just a racer on that track, we lost a great man and a little boy lost his father.

    The unwavering bravery and determination of racers never ceases to amaze as they look death in the eye every time they drive and losses like Leffler’s are never in vain. As legendary racer Bruce McLaren who also perished behind the wheel once put it; ” 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.”

    Well said Bruce. Death in racing is unavoidable and the wounds left in its wake sometimes never heel. We bury the fallen with tears, embrace the ones who escape death’s firm and final grip with relief and race on because that’s what racers do. Rest in peace Jason Leffler and let us all take comfort in the fact that you’re racing with angels now.

     

    “Last night we lost a real racer (in) Jason Leffler” -Mario Andretti

    “Jason Leffler was a great racer and an even better friend….We raced together a lot, and our career paths were very similar. He loved racing, especially open-wheel racing, and that’s a passion we both share. To not have him around to talk about whatever race one of us had just run, or were going to run, will be hard.” -Tony Stewart

    “He died doing what he loved. He was a real racer, and he will be missed.” -Ryan Newman

    “Can’t stop thinking about Jason Leffler…Very sad night. What a great guy we lost tonight. Rest in Peace Jason.” -Kasey Kahne

    “Hate bein reminded of whatta dangerous sport racing is. Lost a good buddy 2nite” -Shane Hmiel