I am writing my senior college thesis on racing safety and the importance of the ever improving safety needs in sprint car racing. I have searched the internet with no luck and am looking for some information on Josh Burton and his wreck. An autopsy would help or just information from a reliable source would be better than I have now.
I would like to apologize if I have offended anybody. I am just looking at what we can do to make things safer for all drivers. In my paper I am writing about current events that have happened and what we can do to make things safer for all drivers. So I'm looking at what failed, why did it fail, and what can we do to make it better.
I do not have a contact to the Burton family but if there is someone from the Burton family that I could ask some questions, I would love to. This paper is not going to be published, essentially just turned in for my Honors class.
I have thought, for the last couple years, that sprint car racing, wing or non-wing, could use a scholarly, medical, forensic analysis of crashes/accidents. Not only for reasons why drivers passed, but analysis of those that were injured, as well. From spinal injuries to broken bones.
Is it our seat belts? Mounting points? Seats? Seat angle? Which helmet restraint? Best mounted how? Bars to keep cars out? Keeps driver in? Energy absorbing/too rigid? I could go on and on.
It's easy to see that sprint cars are not like napcar or Indycar. Crash data from that type of car would not necessarily translate to a sprint car.
Kudos to you, JJ, I wish you nothing but the best.
A Grad student at a major medical university would have the wherewithal to conduct a study like this. Someone could save/change lives, and earn a PhD. doing it. I think I pass by one of those institutions on the way to Bloomington Speedway.
