And now there are five

Jim Huber

By Jim Huber, Turner Sports Interactive
October 9, 2001
9:14 AM EDT (1314 GMT)

COMMENTARY

And now there are five.

With a positive spin, that number would seem rather innocent. Just five lives in how many races? 500? 1,000? 2,000? How many laps, how many entanglements, how many stare-downs, since May of last year?

Blaise Alexander: Oct. 4, 2001

Only five lost. Not bad. They'd take that on a Labor Day weekend in America, wouldn't they? Just five dead. Someone must be doing something right to get the numbers that low, eh?

That is where NASCAR stands today. The good side of the coin is the percentages remain low. The bad side is just one is unacceptable.

Adam Petty: May 12, 2000

With Blaise Alexander's death last week in the ARCA race, five men have now been lost racing since May 12, 2000. And of that number, how many could have been saved with some common sense, some enforcement and a bit of discomfort? Five, five even?

They were given a choice of safety equipment and some of them chose very poorly. Why is choice even a possibility?

Kenny Irwin: July 7, 2000

It remains the same in America's passenger cars. I might get a ticket but I don't have to wear a seat belt if I choose not to. That would seem suicidal and yet many of us make that choice because we're a free country and if we feel that belt wrinkles our suit or tugs on our chest. We can forego it.

NASCAR is not a free country. Every other silly rule has been implemented to drive these crews crazy, why not something to keep their drivers around a little longer? Tell us why the head restraint has not been mandated?

Tony Roper: Oct. 14, 2000

Why must we lose good men to poor judgment? If they don't like the way it restricts their head movement, change it. This may not be the answer but it should be NASCAR's primary focus. Nothing is more important than saving their drivers' lives.

Well, they say, we can't force drivers to wear these things.

Dale Earnhardt: Feb. 18, 2001

And why not? You're so technologically advanced, hook it up so the car won't run if the restraint isn't in place.

Too expensive?

How much is a life worth?

Five men in 18 months. Not bad.

Terrible.