Hate the new car? Too bad. Daytona showed us why

For anyone still undecided about the need for a version of the new car in the Nationwide Series, Kerry Earnhardt's accident Friday night at Daytona International Speedway should have sealed it. It took the son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt 30 slow, painful seconds to extricate himself from his crumpled and smoldering race car, something he was able to do only after pulling off his helmet. Earnhardt was in that fume-filled cockpit long enough that he was treated for smoke inhalation at the track's care center.

Daytona destruction

• Davis catches fire in race
• Earnhardt in fiery crash
• Busch slams wall at finish

It wasn't the evening's only hairy escape. Kertus Davis tumbled out of his race car, helmet and all, after the vehicle burst into flames following an accident. Thankfully, neither driver was hurt. But episodes like those underscore the fact that, despite misguided grousing about competition, the Nationwide tour needs its own "new car" complete with all the safety enhancements of the Cup Series model, among them a wider, taller driver compartment that's easier to scramble out of when the vehicle is consumed by fumes or flames.

Although NASCAR is still negotiating with teams about an optimum schedule, there's already talk that this revised Nationwide vehicle could be rolled out on restrictor-plate tracks and road courses as early as next year, with full implementation following in 2011. Of course, cost is an issue on the Nationwide tour even more so than on the Cup circuit, and the recessed economy is certainly a factor to be overcome. An expensive phase-in of an expensive new car could easily push those organizations already facing sponsorship issues -- and there are plenty of those in the Nationwide garage -- to the brink. Managing the cost-effectiveness of this vehicle, which earned good reviews during its inaugural test at Richmond late last year, will be paramount. But eventually, it has to become a reality. Drivers on the Nationwide circuit are every bit as deserving of improved safety features as their higher-profile brethren on the Cup tour. (Continued)