April 16th, 2009 
Journo No it’s not me who is advocating for more wrecks. But it does seem there are some people who are.
A couple of weeks ago I popped onto our twitter page during a race and was disturbed to see someone had tweeted something to the extent that the race was boring and they hoped there would be a wreck. It bothered me that someone was actually rooting for a wreck to happen.
T.C. and I discussed afterward and we were equally troubled by the tweet (though is definitely not the first time we have heard this).
Now I know the advertising for most forms of motorsports (NASCAR included) features spectacular wrecks. We are shown some of the most horrific wrecks and that is supposed to make us want to watch these events. I just saw a commercial for the IRL on Versus and it was 30 seconds of nothing but Indy Car carnage.
I know it is human nature to be drawn to these sorts of things. That is what these commercials are appealing to. But is it really something we should be celebrating and rooting for?
We certainly don’t cheer for wrecks on the interstate. I have been witness to a few in my day and it is never a pleasant experience. More than anything I really don’t want to see anyone get hurt. And this is something I think a lot of people forget while watching racing.
These drivers who put themselves at great bodily risk (though that is their decision) are just as fragile as those people who get in wrecks out on the interstate. Granted they are much better protected but the risk for serious injury is still there. Perhaps more so considering the speeds involved.
Through the years we all form relationships with these drivers and when one of them is involved in a wreck, you are always concerned until you know he is OK. It is not uncommon for other drivers and folks in the sport after a race to head down to the transporter of a guy involved in a wreck and check to make sure he isn’t hurt. We are all a family, the fans included and no one likes to see bad things happen to their family members.
I know everyone has their own reasons for why they love this sport. I love it for the competition, the personalities and the storylines that always make it an intriguing show. Whatever the case though, those who watch stock car racing just for the wrecks are missing a lot. And ultimately I think they are watching for the wrong reason.
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I get sick to my stomach when there is a wreck; I saw too many fatalities back when I was following F1 and F5000 when I was in high school.
Things are safer now, but a wreck is a wreck. Until I know the driver is okay (and that is ANY driver), I am a little queasy.
I like strategic racing with a little “push” now and then to make a pass. I can do without wrecks.
Maybe instead of wishing for a wreck the tweeter wanted a caution. I’m not a big fan of watching cars wreck. If it happens it happens. That’s part of racing & it certainly is exciting a la Joe Nemechek last week, but 70+ green flag laps at cookie cutters can be brutal & I do find myself hoping that someone will scrape the wall just a little & bring out a caution. After all, the sport is called racing and not wrecking.
Personally I hate to see anyone wreck. I am in the field of Emergency Services,so I know the carnage it can cause the human body. Just because the driver shows no outward sign of injury. does not mean none exists!
There are Three impacts in every wreck. The vehicle hitting an object,the person inside being tossed around,and the internal organs being shifted and jostled.
Give Me a close pit stop any day!
OK hear me out on this before making passing judgment that I might be a wreck monger. Throughout the course of a race, I would much rather see a lot of “almost” wrecks and/or death defying displays of “on the edge” car control by drivers hanging it out and wringing out at much speed and occasionally stepping over the line in a no holds brawl to the finish. Truth be known, that is why Kyle Bush has become the modern day wrangler (or Maverick as McCain & Palin refer to it) that Earnhardt Sr. was for so many years. Love ‘em, or hate ‘em, they came only to leave nothing else on the table.
That being said, I think the fans have become bored w/ the COT and may not realize the reason why. Now I’m all about keeping drivers and crew safe, but IMHO the COT and it’s safety cocoon (while all great advancements as wider, taller, more centered driver, side crush boxes, etc) has given drivers such a video game sense that the risk to reward factor is shrinking. Example is Edwards last lap turn 3 dive bomb on Johnson at Kansas (?) last year knowing he was gonna hit the wall but figured he could still carry speed to the checker. Cool move I must admit, but little risk compared to that same move in…..oh say a 1980’s T-Bird at over 200mph at Talladega. That would be a hero, or death move w/ little chance in between!
I have to admit, Michael McDowell’s spectacular wreck in the Aarons’ Dream Machine at Texas qualy last year was worth the price of admission. Might not have been so lucky had it happened during the race w/ 42 around him, but best part was…..he walked away.
When I was younger I admit I loved seeing the wrecks. They were exciting to me. That changed during the 99 to 01 stretch where we lost so many drivers. Most heartbreaking to me was Dale Sr. I now sit on the edge of my seat after a wreck holding my breath and praying the driver is OK. I remember the feeling of relief when Michael McDowell walked away from the Texas crash last season.
One good thing did come from Dale Sr.’s death in 2001. Nascar could no longer say “inexperience” was the cause and ignore the problem. From that tragedy something good happened, Nascar became much safer and that’s a great legacy to leave.
I am not a fan of wrecks either but I am not a fan watching 1 car zoom to front in clean air and leaving the pack with no chance of catching him except in the pits. I don’t want to pay my money to watch a pit race! I want to watch a race on the track & that has left just about left our sport, maybe that’s is why people are now waiting for the crashes (I don’t understand why, they scare the crap out of me) but the actual races have started to become snooze-fests anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I am a NASCAR addict, I normally am glued to the couch with earphones in my ear so I can hear what’s going on with my driver’s car, but here lately I find the time to do a load of laundry, start supper, or something else while the race is running. My interest is not being held, Yea my driver has alot to do with it. The COT has held their team in the rear for a couple of seasons & they don’t have the funds to run with the 3 mega-teams. The chances of me switching drivers is zero, the chances I’ll become a part time fan are looking better.
The problem with wrecks is they can make an interminably long race even longer. No one in his right mind could wish for a wreck at the 600. (Except maybe Windowlicker — it’d give him more time to nap.)
I have to say that I love seeing wrecks. I love them the same way I love to see engines blow up and tires blow out. Especially when it happens to the 48. When these things happen, that only means good things for your driver. With the way NA$CAR works a bad day for a rival is far better than a great day for your driver. So if my guy drops out of the race, of course I’m hoping all the other good drivers wreck too.
There have been times that I hope for a caution, even the mystery debris kind. It can be for selfish reasons like one of my drivers needs help or to bunch up the field. I also like to see a spectular saves, spins, slides etc where no damage is done. Hope for a wreck no, not even to drivers I don’t root for. Do I enjoy when karma hits a driver/team that made my driver have a bad day, do I want him to wreck no, do I want him to have a bad day too, yes. There are all kinds of ways to have a bad day that do not include wrecking. Hopefully the Tweeter miss spoke or was just trying to stir the pot but judging by Curt’s post I may be hoping in vain .
Somehow, I suspect that the person who tweeted was bored with the follow the leader racing that was going on and wanted a wreck to happen to trigger a caution.
After the carnage I’ve witnessed in my years as a race fan since the 70s, I don’t think anyone really wants to see ‘the big one’ happen despite the safety advances of the COT.
They probably just worded their tweet poorly.
I hope.
Good Article Journo. Look for those fans at next weekends race at Talladega for sure.
I agree with others that we need some way to make sure that the lead car doesn’t just take off and leave everyone else in the dust. Instead of phantom cautions, why not have mandatory green-flag four-tire pit stops required during each race. If the stop was mandatory, it would have us fans at home trying to play crew chief and strategize when each team would take theirs. In the case of super speedways where there are long green-flag runs, perhaps more than one would be required.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
People love the wrecks. Sure, sometimes people get hurt, usually minor injuries, but that comes with the territory and the drivers know it. As mentioned, the wrecks are shown on adverts for races and on ESPN highlights. The wrecks are spectacular to watch, but when someone is seriously injured, the mood immediately changes because I don’t think anyone loves it when that happens.
Comparing this to wrecks on the interstate is asinine. Do you really think even for one second that an eighteen wheeler running over a chevy cavalier is even close to the same as race cars with finely tuned safety features and drivers wearing protective gear crashing during a race? These cars could flip around, get airborne, scrape and flip along the wall, then roll some more on the track and we see the driver get out of his car under his own power and walk away. How many times you think that would happen on the interstate where there would be corpses involved? There are so many things wrong with that comparison and it was only included to push your ideas on people.
Wrecks are part of the sport and when one happens, no matter what people are doing, if they see it on the TV, they all stop and watch until they stop covering and talking about it. It’s exciting, it’s stimulating and more importantly, it’s not boring. NASCAR has gone to great lengths to make sure drivers don’t sustain serious injuries during wrecks and they have done a great job.
People love seeing cars and car parts flying around so long as they can be relatively sure that no one will be injured. Have people watch a NASCAR wreck, then take them out to a busy intersection and show a truck T-boning an Eclipse and crashing into a Vette and see how different the reactions are. Get a grip, it’s part of the sport and is nothing like wrecks on the roads that we drive on every day because people get killed or disabled when that happens.
People love seeing the wrecks and always will even if you don’t admit it. What would NASCAR be without wrecks? Boring and too predictable, that’s what.