when adam petty and many others died nothing was made about it but as soon as earnhardt died it was a big deal. i think that is wrong!!!! that it took dale's death to realize that the sport wasn't safe enough. but they didn't see it when others died.
2007-07-14 20:28:38 · 19 answers · asked by Dmel 4 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
Sad but true. Yes it was wrong but thats what it took to get Nascar to start looking at safety.
2007-07-15 00:20:53 · answer #1 · answered by David G, Jeff Gordon Rules !!!!! 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Its true that Senior's death did bring about a large change in Nascar. But lets think about how Adam died. Adam died in practice for a busch series race, that was probably not on tv, and if it was very few people were watching. I am not saying his death was not important but also remember when Senior died it was on National TV with a huge audience, and the crash really did not look that bad.
I am sure Senior's name had something to do with it, but also there was a huge audience watching at the track and on TV, and the crash looked like something we had seen plenty of times.
It took that crash by Senior to realize how serious the G-forces are inside the car when something like that happens. So they came up with softer walls, and the Hans device.
It is too bad that it took so many lives to realize they needed more safety equiptment.
So I think it was a combination of things. First of all the crash was viewed by many, and I remember seeing that crash. I was a senior in high school, and I never considered Earnhardts health, because I had seen this kind of crash many times. I had no idea that it would kill him and that was the last lap he would even complete. It is unfair like I said before, but considering everything- Winston Cup+ Huge audience+ Biggest race of the year+ Start of the season+ Legend Strangely dies+ Crash looked like many we had seen before= New safety enhancements.
Definitely unfair, but I think after reading this you can see why it was such a huge deal.
2007-07-15 09:42:22 · answer #2 · answered by Birdy 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
No, they have been working on different safety stuff all along. They really didn't have anything worth putting in the car that would be better than what they already had. When Big E died they had a little more insight as to what they wanted to do. Thats why you saw it the next week or so. not because they just decided that Earnhardt died, now we can put this in the car.
2007-07-15 12:26:29 · answer #3 · answered by Admiral Bradley 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Not true new ones, they blamed there deaths on gas peddle or linkage sticking and NASCAR came up with a few ideas like a kill switch and I even think they had them put a tab on the side of the gas peddle to lift it off the floor if this happen to others. Witness's said they never heard them lift off the gas when they hit the wall.
It was the same thing that kill Sr. but they were concerned about a common NASCAR approved part on all cars malfunction rather than the head and neck restraint.
So stop Earnhardt bashing. They ( NASCAR ) did what they thought was right under that circumstance.
2007-07-15 09:24:42 · answer #4 · answered by Ray Y 4 · 3⤊ 3⤋
I think that the fact that Dale Sr., one of the most known names in nascar, dieing on the last lap of the Daytona 500, in a very exciting race, on a world-wide tv broadcast with a ton of people watching as he died, had a lot to do with it. I am not discounting any other deaths in any way, please don't get me wrong. But, there was SO much media coverage at the moment of his impact with the wall! Nascar had no choice but to look at the safety of this sport in a really big way, and bring to reality the things they had been "considering", evaluating, and testing. There was way too much news and criticism at the time they had to do something immediately, and they did.
Go Jr.>>>>
2007-07-15 04:19:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
It's not really fair but this happens all the time in all different sports. Higher profile guys get more attention ans when something happens, action is take.
I am a die hard Dale Sr fan, but the guy didn't like to wear proper safety devices, no gloves, open face helmet, and no hans device which may have prevented his death so Earnhards death was an easy fix to require the hans device etc.
2007-07-15 04:10:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 2⤋
Happens. The guy was NASCAR. By the way, NASCAR was doing things to make it safer. Don't forget restrictor plates. Rusty Wallace hit 232 mph at Talladega a few years ago when NASCAR allowed a test with a restrictor plate engine with the plate removed, just to see.
2007-07-15 10:53:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I dont question it, I am just glad they learned and have saftey equipment requirements. They did have safety equipment back then, just not as thorough and it wasnt required. i believe earnhardts death was responsible for the earnhardt bar and making the use mandatory of the other equipment.
2007-07-15 12:03:11 · answer #8 · answered by beaniefufer 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
what's unfair about it? earnhardt was a legend, of course his death is going to be a bigger deal thatn that of adam petty or kenny irwin, 2 drivers who had a combined 0 wins in the winston cup series. i mean, duh! it's no different than if say, a former US president dies, a much bigger deal will be made of it than if say, a local construction worker dies, right? that's the way the world works, wake up and smell the coffie.
2007-07-15 11:41:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
i believe adam petty's death and kenny irwin's death resulted in soft walls but i understand what you are saying they made a bigger issue out of sr's death and implemented more rules
2007-07-15 08:00:25 · answer #10 · answered by simone219 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋