'Chase car' gives accident victims familiarity

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- NASCAR added a "chase vehicle" to its repertoire of emergency vehicles last season, designed to add an extra layer of communication and safety in case of accidents during Winston Cup races.

	Mike Helton

NASCAR president Mike Helton said the chase vehicle is not specifically an extra emergency vehicle to serve in a medical capacity, but it is to help give some familiarity to drivers involved in accidents.

"We have a vehicle on the racetrack that we put into play last year that will respond to a scene," Helton said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "It is a NASCAR official, a person that the drivers will be familiar with, a face that the drivers will be familiar with."

Last weekend at Watkins Glen International, drivers Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon criticized emergency workers for their slow response to getting to wrecked cars. NASCAR employs local emergency personnel to staff tracks, and Helton said the sanctioning body wouldn't swerve from that policy.

Helton said there is only one chase vehicle at the racetrack, but road courses like Watkins Glen makes it difficult for one vehicle to cover the entire circuit. Helton said adding extra chase cars for road courses probably won't happen.

"What happened last week with Ryan is an issue that we determined that the amount of time it took for all that had to be done was not adequate," Helton said. "More stations for the rescue workers, more SCCA corner workers to let us know what's going on -- those are the type of things we can do there."

But Helton said NASCAR would be open to change.

"We're willing to do whatever we have to do to add to the current program to make it right," Helton said. "But we believe in our current program."

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The NASCAR official who mans the chase vehicle drives to the scene of the accident as soon as possible, but stays away from the immediate area to let the safety crew work. If the driver chooses not to ride in the ambulance, the chase vehicle takes the driver to the infield care center.

"It's not necessarily to perform any paramedical issues, but to put the driver at comfort, as well as help orchestrate the incident that may be going on and to be another line of communication to the control tower," Helton said. "There are several lines, but the more, the better. That's what the person's responsibility is."