Exciting racing means close packs of cars and lots of passing. But that type of racing can lead to terrible crashes. Two of those occurred in the Daytona 500, and one of them killed Earnhardt. CART straightaway speeds on two tracks are exceeding 250 mph. When Indy-style cars make contact at more than 200 mph, something bad almost always happens.
More races means more opportunities for disaster.
In the coming weeks, increasing attention will be focused on driver safety, including new technologies and ways to reduce speeds. Fans who truly love the sport can only hope that appropriate action is taken quickly enough. The Texas Motor Speedway event, featuring the American Le Mans Series, was moved to March in favor of better weather. The September event, which also included the SCCA Trans-Am Series, was run in temperatures well over 100 degrees. Some reports had the ambient temperature inside the TMS bowl as high as 122 degrees during the Sept. 3 Trans-Am Sunday afternoon race.