Courtesy of ESNP.com:
Next time you want to criticize the Sprint Cup car, consider the fact that Elliott Sadler is alive today because of it, along with the head-and-neck restraints all drivers use.
And next time there's a NASCAR race at Pocono, hope and pray track officials follow through with planned safety improvements that should have happened long ago.
Sadler is a lucky man to escape serious injury in a terrifying crash in the Cup race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. The front half of his No. 19 Ford was destroyed in a violent head-on crash into a barrier at the 2.5-mile triangular track.
Sadler slid through the grass at high speed and slammed into a guard rail in front of a dirt berm. It looked like a crash that might have happened 30 years ago -- because the archaic safety devices in place probably were there 30 years ago.
It was the second time this season that drivers luckily have left Pocono uninjured because of car safety, not track safety.
Kasey Kahne made head-on contact with the outside wall in the June race at Pocono. He got into the grass inside the backstretch, causing him to turn up into the wall in front of other cars.
Kahne hit at a spot where there isn't a SAFER barrier. He also hit where there isn't any catch fencing (only large bushes behind the wall), and his car almost went over the wall.
What few people remember about that accident was Marcos Ambrose slamming into the inside barrier at almost the same spot where Sadler hit Sunday. The front of Ambrose's car was destroyed, but he walked away unhurt.
"It's dangerous to have grass next to where you're running 200 miles an hour," Greg Biffle said after winning Sunday. "That's all there is to it. This is a great racetrack. It's so much fun to drive, but Talladega and Daytona had that same issue and they added pavement, like a skid pad or whatever you want to call it, so when the car does get out of control or gets going that direction, you still have some control.
"It feels like you pick up speed when you get in the wet grass. They'll have to look at it. I understand times are tough, but this is two races in a row somebody has been over there."
Drivers have been critical of Pocono's safety problems for years. A few were willing to talk about it Sunday.
"I think the incidents speak for themselves," Jeff Gordon said after the race. "I think there are times where we've got to step up the technology and safety at certain facilities. We've seen two incidents here this year. I think it is going to be a wake-up call for some improvements. It is a great track here at Pocono. We love coming here, but there are definitely some areas where it could be improved."
Pocono Raceway President Brandon Igdalsky had announced earlier that safety improvements are planned for the track before next season, including more catch fencing and additional spots for the SAFER barrier.
But NASCAR officials should have forced Pocono to make these changes years ago. The only reason tragic consequences didn't come out of the Pocono races this year is the car overcame the safety deficiencies of the track.
This car (formerly known as the Car of Tomorrow) is the safest race car ever built. NASCAR officials deserve credit for its bigger, boxier design (and larger driver compartment) that makes it safer.
Sadler's crash illustrates how the car is built to absorb the force of an accident instead of having the driver absorb it. Crush panels in the front of the car enable it to absorb energy and break apart easily.
Some people were shocked to see the engine come out of Sadler's car. That's a good thing, though. The engine staying in one place increases the force of the blow.
Most of the energy of the collision was dissipated in front of the driver compartment, but Sadler still took a huge push forward at impact. It knocked the wind out of him, but might have killed him without his HANS (head and neck support) restraint device.
The helmet is connected to the seat, keeping the neck from violently snapping forward in a head-on crash. The neck snap sometimes resulted in a basilar skull fracture (which caused Dale Earnhardt's death) before these safety advancements.
But Sadler walked away thanks to a car and safety devices inside it that made it possible to overcome a track that's woefully behind the times in safety issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment