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Tuesday, August 21 List is longer than most know By Jonathan Baum ESPN.com NASCAR released the results of its six-month investigation of Dale Earnhardt's death on Tuesday, and as happens when senseless tragedies occur, all one can hope for is that something is learned to prevent the same from happening in the future. Four deaths in nine months. Certainly a tough time for NASCAR and racing in general. But Tuesday's report comes just three days after dirt-track legend Dean Roper was killed during at ARCA race in Springfield, Ill. Unlike those of Earnhardt, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin, this wasn't a NASCAR death, nor-was it crash-related -- an autopsy showed Roper's cause of death to be a heart attack suffered during the race. But still, there was a NASCAR connection. Dean Roper's son was NASCAR Craftsman Series driver Tony Roper, who died from injuries sustained in an accident at Texas Motor Speedway in October. The younger Roper's was the third of the four NASCAR, the last being Dale Earnhardt's at Daytona on Feb. 18. But between May 2000 -- when Adam Petty died at New Hampshire International Speedway -- and last weekend, there have been plenty of non-NASCAR deaths on various tracks. In the wake of the deaths of Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty, Tony Roper's death in October helped questions regarding driver safety became more frequent. But that same weekend, drag racer Wayne Bailey died after crashing during the IHRA World Finals at Red River Raceway in Gilliam, La. Since then, accidents have claimed several lives. Short track driver Al Papini in Rockford, Ill. Former Formula One driver Michele Alboreto at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany, and a marshal at that same track a week later. 17-year-old Washington native Ashley Bergman, a student at the one-day Competitive Edge Racing School. SCCA driver Ralph W. Ridge III at an SCCA Club racing Double Regional event near Grand Rapids, Mich. 61-year-old John Bankston at a sprint car event in Rossburg, Ohio. 39-year-old cross country endurance biker John Deacon at the Masters Rally in Syria. A marshal at the F1 Australian Grand Prix. 50-year-old Michael Roberts during a race practice in Lebanon, Mo. Several spectators after a car lost control at Jerez de los Caballeros rally in Spain. Mike Gagliardo, during the Trans-Am Series 125 event in Bowmanville, Ohio. A driver's wheelchair-bound mother at an event in Amherst, Ohio. Alex Cope at the Northwest Clay Cup sprint car event in Bellingham, Wash. Plus, Dean Roper. And surely, there are more whose names don't even appear in a three-paragraph regional wire story. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be paying attention. NASCAR, CART, IRL, F1, NHRA, etc. ... those drivers are bigger names and thus merit bigger stories. But Tuesday's NASCAR report is as much about those drivers listed above as it is about Dale Earnhardt. It's just a shame it took a concentrated period of tragedy culminating with Earnhardt's death to cause such an uproar. This isn't about NASCAR. It's about the sport in general. Let's hope we've learned something.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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