INDIANAPOLIS — It’s still the early hours, on the morning after the Daytona 500. It was a restless night, awaiting news on the condition of Ryan Newman.
“Serious but not life-threatening” came the word; still troubling, but a relief, nonetheless.
I’ve spent a lifetime covering our sport, studying the characters and the drama and the constant changes. Watching the closing stages of the Daytona 500 was an unsettling experience, to say the least.
It took nearly two hours to complete the final 40-some laps of an elite race that is universally respected as one of America’s most prestigious events. Along the way, nearly three-fourths of the starting field looked to be utterly wrecked. Millions of people collectively gasped as the unthinkable nearly happened, right before our eyes.
What we watched is not sustainable from an entertainment or economic perspective. This type of racing will not attract new fans or corporate sponsors. This type of racing will not build the sport. This type of racing will not strengthen the passion or devotion of existing fans and supporters.
Nearly 40 years ago, racing minds proved that on a vast superspeedway it isn’t at all difficult to coax a heavy stock car well past 200 mph. What’s the limit? Well, 210 mph came fairly easily, and 240 certainly seemed possible. But the laws of physics quickly revealed themselves — see Bobby Allison at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on May 3, 1987 — and we were shocked to discover that a stock car at 200-plus mph can easily punch a big hole in the strongest of walls and fencing. This was immediately and universally recognized as an unsustainable risk.
During the 30-plus years following that defining moment, NASCAR has struggled to find a way to race safely on superspeedways. They have tried a myriad of ideas, with limited success. Fuel restrictions, aero restrictions, etc., have slowed the cars but created dense pack racing with ominous results.
This year’s package was difficult to comprehend, let alone watch. A formula that locks a field of cars inches apart at nearly 200 mph, lap after lap, is troubling enough. Then you discover that the key to success is deliberately applying a bumper to the rear of the car in front of you, just enough to boost your speed. But the slightest bobble — with cars already on the razor’s edge of control — will turn him into the wall, with a trailing pack of 10, 20, 30 cars having a clear shot at him at full speed.
That isn’t racing; that is madness.
NASCAR cares deeply about safety. It is not only unfair but inaccurate to suggest otherwise. Over the past decade they have invested millions of dollars in their facilities and personnel and have proven over and over again their commitment to making their cars and tracks as safe as possible.
Their current dilemma of presenting a reasonably safe and entertaining show at Daytona and Talladega is genuine. If they knew of a rules package that allowed for a competitive race at 180 mph without wrecking three fourths of the field, they would implement such a formula in a heartbeat.
I suspect many of the key leaders of the sport went to bed following the Daytona 500 as deeply troubled as the rest of us. The closing hour of the Daytona 500 cannot be what they envisioned or hoped for, obviously.
Of course, I’m offering no solutions. I say that openly because I have no idea what they should try next. But it’s no longer possible to watch this current formula without a powerful sense of discomfort and concern.
Where do we go from here? Daytona, in particular, is far too important a venue to simply say we don’t race there anymore. It’s a historic and cultural cornerstone in our sport and must be maintained as such. But we’ve got to face the reality that this type of racing simply cannot be maintained.
Every form of racing is inherently dangerous. That said, the sport long ago accepted there are varying degrees of risk, and the sport is managed thusly. Based on decades of experience, sometimes our intuition kicks in and we collectively sense the risk has reached a level that is not acceptable.
We reached that level at Daytona. And they must do something about it.