A Tribute to the NASCAR Fans
NASCAR fans come from every walk of life, trucker to CEO, and yet converge on Sundays to watch the sport they love as one.
They share travel stories about how far they came, who their favorite drivers are, and who they are picking to win that particular race. NASCAR race fan discussion sometimes even gets a bit heated, but that is all usually put aside over an adult beverage and some good race track eats.
NASCAR fans are passionate like none other. They demonstrate that passion with the gear that they wear, from T-shirts to jackets to pajama bottoms sporting their favorite team number or race car, to the bags of merchandise they purchase from the many haulers at the race track.
Many have even poked some fun at NASCAR fans, citing the occasional missing tooth or the perhaps a little more predominant beer belly. And there is a definite fascination of the variety of racing tattoos or the interesting hair dos sported by fans at every event.
But at the Nationwide race in Daytona, the first one of the season, where everyone in the stands was so excited to start the 2013 year off with a bang, NASCAR fans instead became helpers and first responders.
As the pieces and parts of young race Kyle Larson’s car flew into the stands, after the last lap crash, fans were helping fellow fans, taking off those race-themed T-shirts to help staunch the bleeding of those who were injured.
And they used those loud NASCAR fan voices, ones that had just been cheering for their beloved racers, to instead summon help from the nearby emergency responders.
“It was surreal,” Ron Diehl, Jr., a fan who was at the track just a few sections away from where Larson’s car hit the fence, said. “The debris was raining down.”
“You saw the smoke and then we saw the impact and then parts started flying up in the air,” Diehl continued. “I kind of froze and ducked my head.”
“I was kind of in shock.”
Another fan, Larry Spencer, said, “As soon as he hit the catch fence, it looked like the car exploded. There were pieces of debris flying everywhere.”
In spite of trying to protect his brother, Spencer said that he did suffer a cut to his cheek, requiring stitches.
“As soon as I saw the pieces of debris go flying, I grabbed him and put my arms around him to shield him.”
Those NASCAR fans not at the track at Daytona took to social media, Twitter and Facebook, to post their concerns, sharing their prayers as they tried to gather information about how many were hurt and how critically.
In that one moment, they forgot about their rivalries and instead came together as a community to worry about any fan, adult or child, injured in the last lap melee.
Even the drivers joined in sharing their concerns about the fans, acknowledging that those are the people that make their racing possible.
Tony Stewart, who actually won the Nationwide Drive4COPD 300, was somber in Victory Lane, deciding to waive off the festivities in light of his care and concern for what was happening in the stands.
“We always know that this is a dangerous sport,” Stewart said. “We assume that risk but it’s hard when fans get caught up in it.”
“My concern is for the fans right now.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, who was also participating in the Nationwide race and was involved in the crash, echoed Stewart’s concerns.
“There was obviously a big wreck with a lot of debris,” Keselowski said. “I really hope everyone in the grandstands is OK.”
“That is the most important thing right now.”
Both the track president Joie Chitwood and NASCAR’s president Mike Helton made formal statements about their joint concerns for the fans in the media center after visiting the hospital where many of the injured were taken.
But, as with any tragedy at any race, from the death of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in 2001 to the death of a fan from a lightning strike at Pocono Raceway last year, NASCAR fans know that the show must go on and the racing must continue.
And that is again is how the heartiness and resiliency of the NASCAR fans is demonstrated. The stands will fill this weekend and every weekend going forward, the National Anthem will be sung, the engines will be fired and the fans will cheer mightily for it all.
Perhaps Dave Moody, radio host and announcer for MRN, summed it up best by starting a trend in using the Twitter hash tag #NASCARSTRONG in communicating via social media about the fans and the last lap crash. After all, that is exactly what race fans are – strong, feisty, determined and resilient.
Indeed, NASCAR fans are a family. And every race fan is in fact #NASCARSTRONG.
Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 1 Daytona International Speedway – Daytona 500 – February 24, 2013
It’s another NASCAR season, and I’m proud to be kicking off the third season of my weekly column devoted to picking a couple drivers with the potential to make some noise on Sunday afternoon. Before I begin my outlook on the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season and tomorrow’s 55th running of the Daytona 500, I’d like to share my thoughts and prayers for all those fans injured today at Daytona International Speedway on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ DRIVE4COPD 300. It is extremely unfortunate when fans who show up to be entertained, actually become a part of the action.
After a stellar rookie season in 2011, my sophomore season as a NASCAR handicapper saw its ups and downs, which is why I am excited for a clean slate to start off this 2013 season. We’ve got a new reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion for the first time since 2004, a few newcomers to the Sprint Cup Series, a new driver/driver relationship known as “Stenica”, a few team changes, one less manufacturer, and an entirely new race car to start off this 2013 season. With so many unknowns to start this 2013 season, selecting winners this season is looking to be my toughest task yet as a sports journalist.
Nothing to recap this week as I move out of my three-month NASCAR hibernation (which couldn’t come soon enough this year as my Buffalo Bills finished at the bottom of the AFC East standings with a dismal 6-10 record, and my fainted Buffalo Sabres currently fight to lift themselves from the bottom of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Standings) so, we’ll move into my thoughts on the 55th running of the Daytona 500.
Daytona Picks
I absolutely loathe restrictor plate racing as it tends to be more mayhem than actual racing talent, but I will not take away from the excitement surrounding the start of the 2013 campaign and reserve my comments for the time being.
Though it is said that the four restrictor plate races on the schedule are “a roll of the dice” in picking winners, but I tend to pare down the potential list of winners using historical trends. For instance, it has been twelve years since the last driver took home both the Daytona 500 and the Sprint Unlimited (formerly the Budweiser Shootout) in the same year. This feat has been claimed five times by four different drivers, but the last time a driver won at Daytona in consecutive weeks, dates back to 2000 when Dale Jarrett took home the Daytona 500 and Sprint Unlimited in the same year for the second time in his storied career. For this reason alone, I eliminate Kevin Harvick as my Winner Pick for tomorrow’s Daytona 500.
It has also been a dozen years since the winner of the Daytona 500 has come from the front row, and if you’ve ever solicited advice at the Roulette wheel, anyone with experience will tell you to never bet against the recent trends . Dale Jarrett not only won the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 in the year 2000, but he did it by starting from the pole position of The Great American Race. It was the second year in a row that the winner of the Daytona 500 came from the first starting spot, and for this reason I’ll eliminate Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon from contention tomorrow.
Last year’s Daytona 500 marked the first time in seven years a repeat winner took home the Harley J. Earl Trophy, the second-longest streak of first-time winners (the longest streak of new winners being seven races, from the inaugural race in 1959 to The King’s second Daytona 500 victory in 1966). Sticking with historical trends, I am making a prediction that the winner of tomorrow’s race will have taken home a Daytona 500 at least once already. This means that the winner will come from either Matt Kenseth, Trevor Bayne, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Michael Waltrip. The two other drivers with Daytona 500 wins (Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick) have been eliminated from my list of potential race winners under previous historical trends.
Winner Pick
So, we’ve got the list down to seven potential winners based on my historical trend formula, and out of these seven drivers, I’m most comfortable saying Dale Jr. will walk away as the second driver in two years to win their second Daytona 500 win. Dale Jr.’s first Daytona 500 win came back in 2004, giving DEI their final Daytona 500 victory before merging with Chip Ganassi Racing, forming Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. He has visited Gatorade Victory Lane more recently than 2004 as he started off his career with Hendrick Motorsports with wins in both the Sprint Unlimited and his Budweiser Duel race prior to the 2008 Daytona 500. He was also the runner up in both his Duel race and Daytona 500 last season.
This year, Jr. has looked extremely comfortable in the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet, and the No. 88 car has looked comfortable in the pack draft. This is the style of racing the Earnhardt family is known for and the Hendrick camp has put a truly magnificent product on the track again for Dale Jr. He’s been in the mix of the faster cars all week, including winning the final practice session on Friday for the 55th Annual Great American Race. I’ll be watching the No. 88 to immediately work his way to the front from his starting spot in the middle of the pack, and for Jr. Nation to start their 2013 season off with a win.
Dark Horse Pick
It is tough to call a past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion a Dark Horse, but there is a guy making his 65th start at Daytona International Speedway this week who has shown he can keep his nose clean and finish the race strong. Bobby Labonte will be another driver starting mid-pack on Sunday, and will look to keep the nose of his Kroger Toyota clean in order to finish strong in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota Camry.
Now, is been 324 races since his last victory, so I’m stretching here for a Dark Horse pick, but Labonte’s recent history at The World Center of Racing has be believing he might play a factor in Sunday’s race. Drivers like to draft with guys with experience, and experience Labonte has. Watch for the No. 47 to mix up the front of the field come lap 199 on Sunday.
That’s all for this week, so until we head west for the second stanza of the season, you stay classy NASCAR NATION!
28 Fans Injured after Last Lap Nationwide Series crash in DRIVE4COPD 300
After a crash on the last lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300, 28 spectators were injured due to debris flying into the grandstands.
“Following the incident we responded appropriately according to our safety protocols, and had emergency medical personnel at the incident immediately,” Daytona International Speedway Track President Joie Chitwood III said. “We transported 14 people off property and treated 14 people at our on-track care center. We’re in the process of repairing the facility and will be ready to go racing tomorrow.”
12 of the 14 were transported to Halifax Medical Centre, including one minor. Seven were admitted to Halifax with trauma related injuries, while five were admitted with non-trauma injuries. Two of them are in critical condition, but all 12 are stable.
The wreck was triggered when Regan Smith threw a block on Brad Keselowski in the tri-oval on the 2.5-mile oval. Contact would ensue through the field, sending rookie Kyle Larson up into the catch fence. Larson’s engine would land on the fans’ side of the catchfence, while one of his tires would land a couple rows up in the stands.
11 cars were all involved in the wreck, including Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Sam Hornish Jr., Eric McClure, Parker Kligerman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robert Richardson Jr., Travis Pastrana and Alex Bowman. None of the drivers were injured.
There were questions as to whether the track would endue changes before Sunday’s Daytona 500. Chitwood III noted that after each event, they review the track property, looking at both the asphalt and fencing.
“We did that after our Duels and the truck race, we’ll do the same thing to make sure that we’re ready for tomorrow,” he said. “As a property that has been here for over 55 years, we make sure we make the right investments in our property. The only changes that will occur with the fencing that goes back, we will not have time to put the crossover gate that was there, so it will be strictly fencing for tomorrow.”
Larson’s car hit the catch fence where the crossover gate was located. The crossover gate is in place to allow fans to go back and forth from track surface to the grandstands. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President for Racing Operations was asked if whether they’ll be improvements with relation to that gate in the future.
“I think we look at this after every incident,” he said. “We’ve learned in the past certain protocols put in place today are a result of prior incidents. Again, our initial evaluation is still ongoing. But it’s certainly something we’ll look at. If we can improve upon it, we’ll certainly put that in play as soon as we can.”
The area that Larson’s car hit will be repaired and Chitwood III assured fans who have tickets for that section for the Daytona 500 that they’ll be able to sit there.
“We don’t anticipate moving any of our fans,” he said. “We had our safety protocols in place. Our security maintained a buffer that separates the fans from the fencing area. With the fencing being prepared tonight to our safety protocols, we expect to go racing tomorrow with no changes.”
Moving forward, O’Donnell noted that NASCAR will evaluate everything and try to improve things for the future.
“Certainly when you look at this incident, there are some things we can learn and evaluate,” he said. “We’ll take the car, we’ll do that. We’ll evaluate the fencing and see if there’s anything we can learn from where gates are.
“But, again, really initial right now. I think we need to take the time to really study it and see what we can improve on. If we can, certainly the safety of our fans is first and foremost and we’ll make that happen.”
The full report on the wreck as posted earlier can be viewed by clicking here.
Tony Stewart won the race ahead of Hornish Jr. and Bowman. The full race report can be seen by clicking here.
That’s Just Plate Racing
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.
Tony Stewart wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 after last lap wreck
After the lead cars made contact triggering the 11 car wreck, Tony Stewart would make his way through, emerging as the winner of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. It marks his seventh victory and 10th top-10 finish in 14 races at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart would not celebrate in victory after the crash sent Kyle Larson’s car up against the catchfence, ripping it apart, sending debris into the grandstands. There were 14 fans treated at the track, while another 14 were transferred to hospitals in the surrounding area. 12 of the 14 were transported to Halifax Medical Centre, including one minor. Seven were admitted to Halifax with trauma related injuries, while five were admitted with non-trauma injuries. Two of them are in critical condition, but all 12 are stable.
“The important thing is what is going on the frontstretch right now,” Stewart said. “We’ve always known since racing started that this is a dangerous sport. We assume that risk, and it’s hard when the fans get caught up in it. As much as we want to celebrate and as much as this is a big deal to us, we are concerned about the fans and drivers on the front stretch.”
The wreck started when Regan Smith threw a block on Brad Keselowski in the tri-oval on the 2.5-mile oval.
“Well, watching the replay, my reaction is the same as everyone is hoping all the fans in the grandstands are okay,” Keselowski said. “It was a long race, we seen a lot of action – lot of chances for winning and passing. We were in a good position with Regan at the end of the race. When it came down, I felt like I was in the spot. I wanted to make the winning move, and he made a block on it. That’s his right and it started the chaos.”
“Tried to throw a block off of turn four,” Smith said. “I knew Brad was going to make a move. But that’s what you do at Daytona – you do what you can do for the win……You’re coming to the checkered at Daytona and you want to win here whether it’s Cup, Nationwide or ARCA. I was not willing to concede second place. If I’m in second tomorrow, I will make the same move again.”
11 cars were all involved in the wreck, including Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Sam Hornish Jr., Eric McClure, Parker Kligerman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robert Richardson Jr., Travis Pastrana and Alex Bowman. None of the drivers were injured. An entire separate article talking about the wreck has been posted. You can view it by clicking here.
Despite being involved, Hornish Jr. would cross the finish line second for his second top-10 finish in five races at Daytona. Bowman would cross the line third to be the highest finishing rookie in the event. Earnhardt Jr. and Kligerman rounded out the top five.
“We had a pretty good car all day and just right there at the end, trying to get the best finish, and thought we were going to get to the end without tearing anything else,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I saw the 7 (Smith) spinning across the track and he caught my left front and I couldn’t steer from there. I was trying to cross the finish and got hit by someone coming across the track.”
Scott would finish sixth in his first start with Richard Childress Racing after moving over from Joe Gibbs Racing. Allgaier finished seventh, followed by McClure, Richardson Jr. and Pastrana.
In total, there’d be seven cautions throughout the course of the 300 mile race at Daytona.
The first caution came out on lap eight for Scott Lagasse Jr. spinning out as he tried to slide down in front of Trevor Bayne.
The second caution followed on lap 34 after Smith spun, after some slight contact from Elliott Sadler; Juan Carlos Blum would hit the inside wall. Danica Patrick would go behind the wall after experiencing electrical problems.
“Well, I guess before I just shut down and lost power, I was slowing down,” she said. “It felt like the revs were right but when I was lost the pack, couldn’t catch back up. I couldn’t keep up with Tony back there; I knew something was wrong. It’s fun doing these Nationwide races. It’s a bummer for Turner Scott Motorsports.”
The third caution came out on lap 65 when Mike Wallace would get turned sideways in the tri-oval, collecting Michael Annett, Joe Nemechek and Kurt Busch.
Trevor Bayne would then bring out the fourth caution at lap 85 after he broke a driveshaft. He wouldn’t be the only one with mechanical problems, as Kyle Busch brought out the fifth caution after blowing a motor with 22 laps to go.
The final caution came out with five laps to go when Austin Dillon would get turned by Annett after Annett got loose while pushing Sadler. Also collected in the wreck were Kasey Kahne, Johanna Long, Jamie Dick, Mike Bliss, Jason White, Danny Efland, Jeffery Earnhardt, Hal Martin and Matt Kenseth. Michael Annett is being transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for further evaluation. Annett will be kept at hospital overnight for observation and is being treated for bruising on his chest.
As we end this off, from all of us at SpeedwayMedia.com, our thoughts and prayers are with the fans that were injured today at the speedway.
