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Wednesday, March 7 Risk management key to NASCAR By Ray Dunlap Special to ESPN.com The death of Dale Earnhardt has brought about many varied discussions. Was he the best ever? What was he like as a person? What made him great? How can NASCAR rebound from such a gigantic blow? What can we learn about safety from this tragedy? Earnhardt's record speaks for itself; you probably have read a hundred stories about the "man" by now, so I won't go there. His style and raw talent made him great; our sport has lost one of the best ever. I have no idea how NASCAR will ever rebound from his loss. However, I do know that much will be learned about safety from his accident and it's time for NASCAR to get off its collective butt and do something about the problems it faces. There are a lot of important issues to be rectified and no one seems in any hurry to work them out. If you think I am inferring that NASCAR, as an organization, is callous and non-caring, you are 100 percent wrong. There are many wonderful people in the company that love this sport and its competitors. Much hard work by dedicated professionals goes into bringing the polished product of stock car racing to the public. The key term here, however, is risk management. Our society has become incredibly litigious. From a lady who spilled hot coffee at McDonald's, to a guy who fell on the icy steps of his neighbor's front porch, everyone is suing. NASCAR is a big business - a very big business. And, they must minimize risk in every way possible. A great deal of thought goes into every decision they make, in order to avoid risk, and maximize profit and productivity. Keep in mind NASCAR is a business. Hundreds of issues must be dealt with every day to protect the company from lawsuits. My worry is that increasing exposure to litigation might hamper the company's desire to further safety requirements. It's plain as day that some things need fixed. Here are some of my thoughts on how it can get better. Safety crews Each individual speedway is responsible for hiring the safety crew. This is different than in CART or NHRA. Those sanctioning bodies bring a consistent, dedicated crew to each event. This is a much better way. The trauma doctor on site would already know each individual driver and their specific needs and medical history. I haven't heard a good argument against this idea. But, there is a very real risk management reason why not to do it, because NASCAR has 12 touring divisions and its Winston Cup Series is just one of those. If the Cup drivers get a touring medical staff and (God forbid) a driver is killed in a Goody's Dash race, someone might sue NASCAR because there was no traveling doctor in the lower division. I know that sounds crazy, but it could -- and probably would --happen. So here is the answer: The race track promoters must band together to create a unified medical team that travels to every event, and they must incur the expense of traveling those qualified experts. A NASCAR rule book states: The Promoter is directly and finally responsible to ensure that the racing facilities are adequate for the Event; that adequate safety personnel and equipment are provided for each Event, both for the purpose of preventing injury where reasonably possible and responding to injury when it occurs; and that the conditions at the racing facility are maintained in a reasonable manner to reduce the risk of injury, all as more fully set forth in the Sanction Agreement applicable to the Event. Ernie Irvan is alive today because Dr. Greg Bowman was at Michigan Speedway the day he crashed during testing. If this qualified surgeon were not present, we probably would not have Ernie with us now. Let's make sure the most qualified doctors are available for our heroes in the future. Soft walls Here again the onus is on the track operators. By the time you read this, there will be new information on Soft Wall Technology. A lot of people are working on this project. What drives me nuts, is that brand new facilities (Kansas City, Nashville, Chicago, Kentucky) have been recently designed ignoring a provision for shock absorbing walls. NASCAR does not mandate firesuits or gloves be worn by drivers (they are recommended), so they are unlikely to mandate soft walls. They will, however, have the final say in the approval of what materials are installed, if any facility ever does so. On-track action I have always hated that NASCAR races back to the yellow flag; and I worry about cars speeding down pit road. Both put people in danger. NASCAR claims they must race back to the yellow to have accurate scoring. All cars are scored electronically and manually at the start/finish line. I have often thought Global Positioning Satellite receivers would fix that. And then, there it was. Each car now has a GPS receiver for the new TV graphics. The ability to identify any car in the pack with a steam of light pointing out the car comes from outer space. Great! Now when the caution comes out they can freeze the field as it is. At the very moment the yellow flag waves, the computer can tell if the No. 24 car is ahead of, or behind, the No. 88. The same thing goes for pit road speed. The GPS can calculate every individual car's speed at anytime. No more need for six guys in the control tower with stop watches saying, "I think the No. 2 car was a little too fast exiting." Cars are running a legal pit road speed or they are not. If all cars are forced to obey the limit there will be much less risk for crewmembers. And not racing back to the yellow flag reduces the chance for an additional crash. Drivers' seats A great deal of work is being done here and I know very little about the technology. The seat of the future will probably be made of carbon fiber, and not aluminum. It will be molded to fit the contour of the driver much closer. A number of drivers have been killed over the years when their seat came loose. Even with a properly installed seat that stays in place, the human body can stretch an amazing distance under force. As we learn more about how Earnhardt's lap belt may have malfunctioned, further development of a better seat design and belt placement will follow. Fire There are a number of things that should be done to help combat fire in the car. How many times have you watched as a car smacks the outside wall and flames immediately fly from under the right front wheel? On GM and Dodge engines the fuel pump is located on the lower right side of the engine. When the pump is ruptured or a fuel line is severed, the fuel ignites off the headers and there goes another crispy car. The simple solution would be to move the fuel pump to the left side of the engine, like on a Ford. But that's not practical (I have no idea why Dodge did not retool to do this on the new P7 engine). Teams should build a barrier around the fuel pump to protect it in a crash. Another possibility is to create a stop valve on the fuel line, which closes if there is a rapid decrease in adequate pressure. If a fuel line were broken, the valve would eliminate extra fuel from flowing out of the fuel cell. Also, every team should place a halon filled fire bottle (with a 180-degree thermostat release) in the trunk area by the fuel cell. If a car has a rear impact that creates a fuel cell fire, the bottle would automatically discharge. No team wants to add any extra weight, so very few run more than the required fire bottle in the driver compartment. The teams must practice their own risk management. Not everything should be left up to NASCAR. However, in this case, I think a new rule would make a big difference. Court room Over the years NASCAR has managed it's risks wisely. Most problems were dealt with behind closed doors. What happened in the garage was dealt with in the garage. But, there has been an increase in the amount of litigation surrounding racing. Drivers are suing owners; owners are suing engine builders; even sponsors are suing owners and drivers. Between the IRL tragedy and the pedestrian bridge collapse, the lawyers for Lowe's Motor Speedway have been elbow-deep in paper work for two years. Liability is the key word here. How long before one driver sues another driver for negligence? Racer X gets put into the wall by driver Z and then racer X goes to the pits to make repairs. Racer X then comes back on the track and intentionally crashes driver Z. (It happens all the time). The problem is, driver Z brakes his arm and five ribs in the crash and has to sit out 3-4 weeks. This screams of malicious intent. Sound far-fetched; just watch any race at Bristol, Martinsville or Richmond. Some drivers have even admitted fault on camera, but I bet they won't in the future (Fault = Liability = $$$). I hope I am crazy and a lawyer does not become as valuable to a race team as the driver or crew chief. I also hope that risk management and liability never become as important as horsepower and handling. I also hope the safety for our drivers gets better. I am tired of going to funerals.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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