Burton upset after frightening pit road accident

By Stephen Thomas, CNNSI.com
November 12, 2001
11:15 AM EST (1615 GMT)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Ward Burton was clearly upset Sunday by the scary pit road accident that injured three of Ricky Rudd's crew members and a NASCAR official in the Pennzoil Freedom 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Ward Burton

At least three times in the minutes immediately after the accident, Burton radioed his crew to ask how serious the injuries were.

"I'm getting ready to go to the hospital," he said. "I thought I was clear. I feel horrible about it."

Elliott wins at Homestead  Injured crew update  Pennzoil 400 Results  Winston Cup Standings  Crewmen hit on pit road  Gordon fails to clinch  Video: Victory Lane  Video: Pit road incident  Video: Early highlights  Video: Final laps

Late Sunday night, there was no additional information available as to the condition of Bobby Burrell, front tire changer on the No. 28 car. Burrell, who suffered head injuries when Burton and Casey Atwood got together as they exited the pits, was air lifted from the track to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he was said to be in serious condition but alert.

John Bryan, jack man for the No. 28, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a knee injury and a mild concussion and was released.

Kevin Hall, a tire carrier with the No. 28 and Kenny Lawson, a NASCAR official, were treated and released.

The accident was, according to all involved, tragic. Nevertheless, the consensus is that little could have been done to prevent it.

"Nobody did anything wrong," Atwood said. "That's just the stuff that happens on pit road."

The accident.

"There was an accident on pit road and accidents happen in this sport," agreed NASCAR president Mike Helton. "They shouldn't, it would be nice if they didn't, but they do.

"We've actually looked at having everybody over the wall with helmets on," Helton continued. "But after conversations with the crew guys, they debate you on their mobility and visibility [and] being able to move quickly and have the broad range of vision they need.

"But there's been some interest from helmet manufacturers to make a helmet that is more open-faced, particularly vision-wise that you need on pit road that you wouldn't need in a race car."

CONTROVERSY REIGNS

The feel-good nature of Bill Elliott's win at Homestead notwithstanding, at least some people were as upset with Sunday's race results as they were with Friday's qualifying results, when Dodge dominated. Dodges finished first, third, fifth and sixth Sunday.

"We're bringing knives to a gunfight," said Ford driver Jeff Burton. "The Dodges and Chevrolets get to you and they can run up under you and get you loose, but with a Ford when you get behind a guy you're just screwed.

"There's no way you can pass," he continued. "They keep giving everybody all this stuff and we're so disadvantaged that it's really frustrating. I don't think anybody is intentionally trying to screw us, but that's what's happened in this process."

PLEASANT SURPRISE FOR WALTRIP

Michael Waltrip

A few weeks ago at Talladega, Michael Waltrip said that he would trade a good result in a restrictor-plate race for a top five in any of the season's final few races. That he finished second Sunday was not only gratifying for him personally, but that he got it at Homestead was downright shocking: His best previous result at Homestead had been 34th.

"If you look at the finishing order from last year," he said, "I beat one car that ran all the laps. This is a big deal for me to run second."

COSTLY PENALTY

Until he was penalized for a pit road violation late in the race, Tony Stewart seemed a good bet to win his third consecutive race at Homestead on Sunday. But when Stewart decided to pit when Kurt Busch spun and brought out the sixth and final caution of the day with 16 laps remaining, he did so against the explicit instructions of his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli.

Having missed the entrance to pit road without receiving the answer that he wanted, Stewart simply cut across the grass separating the track from the access road, resulting in his penalty. The end result of Stewart's decision was that he finished 19th.

The repercussions could be longer lasting. Stewart and Zipadelli reportedly exchanged harsh words on the radio and immediately after the race. Zipadelli and team owner Joe Gibbs were seen in the garage after the race, also apparently in heated conversation.

ANNOUNCEMENT EXPECTED ON FUTURE OF NO.1 CAR

Since he was injured in the Busch race at Darlington in early September, speculation has centered on when Steve Park might be able to return behind the wheel of the No. 1 car.

Though team representatives have said that Park's recovery is proceeding well if somewhat slowly, there is still no clear idea if Park will be able to drive the car in Daytona next February. As a result, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has set a deadline of this week to come to a decision about who will be driving the car at the start of next season.

A spokesman for DEI said Sunday that an announcement will be made later this week in Atlanta. Kenny Wallace, who has two top-10 finishes in his past three starts in place of Park, is expected to be named to drive the car until such time as Park is able to return.