Keep The Shiny Side Up

During qualifying Friday afternoon for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, one of the most violent and scary crashes took place as rookie driver Michael McDowell lost control of his No. 00 Toyota Camry and proceeded to post one for the record books. McDowell, a member of the team at Michael Waltrip Racing, incredibly, got out of the car and walked away.



"For me to walk away from that wreck is unbelievable," McDowell said. "I'm going to count by blessings tonight and thank God for this opportunity to walk away from that wreck."

Since the death in 2001 of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR officals began implementing many safety oriented changes. Certainly, the three most notable changes all played a pivotal role during Friday's crash: the safer wall (The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction wall), the HANS device and the car of tomorrow (COT).

The safer walls, developed by a team led by Dr. Dean Sicking at the University of Nebraska, consist of foam inserts between walls to absorb energy at the time on impact. The results of this are easily witnessed in the crash video.

The HANS Device prohibits the drivers head from moving much during such a crash. Most observers feel this device could have helped Earnhardt had it been in place.

The controversial COT is no doubt being applauded in the garage area this weekend. Although there are problems with it, from being bulky and more difficult to drive and handle for the drivers, the safety of the car cannot be questioned. The COT is taller and wider than the previous car, and the driver is positioned more in the middle to lessen the impact of driver side contact.

NASCAR has been having a rough go of it of late and many of the problems are self inflicted. From changes in the garage, to commercialization to leaving heritage by closing tracks like North Wilkesboro and North Carolina Motor Speedway, the change to the COT must be considered a success, particularly if safety was among the most important reasons. Safety was a top concern, and I think everyone, especially Michael McDowell, is thankful for it.