Before we go into any details, our thoughts and prayers are with all of the fans and the families of those that were hurt. We also pray for those that were traumatized in anyway by what they saw. The best thing we can do for them is pray that everything will be okay in the long run.
There is nothing you can say other than, “That’s just plate racing.” It is what I fear anytime we come to Daytona or Talladega. We have been lucky in the past that this type of accident has not happened more often. This was bound to happen and unfortunately it happened at a race that had it’s fair of share of great action. The question that many fans are asking this evening is, “is there anything we can do?” My answer is no. Someone suggested we slow the cars down. The winning pole speed was set by Trevor Bayne at 177 mph. How much slower are we talking? The winning pole speed for the Daytona 500 was over 196 mph. Are fans concerned for the 500 tomorrow?
The first two races for the Gen 6 didn’t see many people making any risky moves out there on the track, but this isn’t the Sprint Unlimited or the Budweiser Duels. This is the Daytona 500. No one is thinking points during the Daytona 500. They are thinking prestige, money, and the true honor of winning the Daytona 500. These drivers will do what their job is tomorrow and that is race.
Is there anything NASCAR can do to prevent crashes without changing the outcome of the race? No. We must realize now that NASCAR is a dangerous sport. People have died racing. That is just the way it is. The catchfence did its job and we must be thankful for that. What happened was a freak accident as the part of the fence where Larson hit was just an incredibly weak part of the fence. No one saw that coming.
What even caused the wreck? It was just racing. I can’t really blame Regan Smith or Brad Keselowski for what happened. Smith said he was “throwing a block” on Keselowski. When we take a look at the replay, it looks like Keselowski moved to the high side, then tried to go low, but Smith was also moving up at the same time which made it look like initially that Keselowski just took him out. I defended Keselowski on Twitter. You can’t blame anyone. It happened so fast, and that’s just racing. There was absolutely no intent on Keselowski to wreck Smith and himself.
Anyway, if NASCAR were to take away the plates, what would happen? The cars would go around 230 mph, and if there was a crash at high speed, I think there would be even more carnage than at a plate track. We all have to realize that Daytona and Talladega are very dangerous tracks to race at. Heck, I think all tracks are treacherous. You never know what will happen, but as a community of NASCAR fans, we should take the opportunity to come together with our fellow fans, and have a true discussion on improvements that we think we should make as a sport.
Our thoughts and prayers are also with Michael Annett as he will be staying in the hospital overnight for observation for his chest bruising. And we pray for a safe Daytona 500 tomorrow.
