Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

It seems like this year has been a terrible year for sprintcar driver's getting hurt. As was said earlier by another member, it is very sad seeing these young driver's getting hurt. In just Indiana alone this summer, there are at least four serious accidents that come to mind Biro, Boespflug, Speidel, and McIntosh. Not to mention others around the world. Racing is very dangerous and there have always been accidents but seems like there is starting to be more and more. Is this due to the speed the cars are going these days, the tracks, the safety equipment, or just a combination of everything?

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I think it's speed. Take Perris, USAC/CRA, for example. The top cars are runnin 850+ hp motors and gettin it to the track. You can see it well when they come out of turn 2, the cars get up on the rear tires and haul the mail down to 3......I mean really haul the mail. The combo of the motors, tires, chassis that transfer weight very well, and drivers that, like all before them, just can't seem to go fast enough. They're wanting to go faster. The safety equipment is wonderful, helmets, helmet restraints, great seats. Again, I think it's the speed they're goin now. Just my two cents.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Tube frames, fat tires, high horsepower, and light weight. This is a combination for injury. All the safety protection in the world can only help so much. These cars , which really haven't changed much since 1950, weren't designed for what they are doing in 2008.

Mechanical failure aside, the other part of the combination is the age of most of the young drivers today. Yes they're fast and spectacular to watch, but they are not as prone to thinking about what is going on as Darland , Coons Jr, and guys of that age bracket are.This definately adds to part of the equation.

Last but not least , weather we like it or not, this is a dangerous game, and sometimes the price to play is rather steep. Thankfully, do to the safety improvements over the last few years, paying the ultimate price is a lot less frequent then it was 20 years ago.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I have said for awhile now that todays sprint cars need to be re-designed in the cage area. The rest of the car can stay as is but now the cages need to be wider and taller and a better seat needs to be in place. I would suggest also developing some sort of energy absorbing material to stop the car from picking up speed when flipping or rolling.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by lazyifoto:
I have said for awhile now that todays sprint cars need to be re-designed in the cage area. The rest of the car can stay as is but now the cages need to be wider and taller and a better seat needs to be in place. I would suggest also developing some sort of energy absorbing material to stop the car from picking up speed when flipping or rolling.

Wider and taller cages are still not going to help when you hit a concrete wall at a buck 20 cage first. And then it would real easy to get a tire in to the cockpit.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I think you're talking about wings as those things that absorb impact, someone already thought of that.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I don't think sprint cars should be redesigned from what they are now. If they scare you, stay away from them. My suggestion is miminmum 17 years of age and a valid drivers license. Also, at the pit sign in, have a cut out of Barney Rubble or Fred Flintstone that is about 4'-10" tall and have a sign on it that says. "you must be this tall to ride this ride". :)

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

There has always been the tragic results of racing and there will continue to be no matter what is done. That being said, i feel the main problem today is the lighter "throw away" chassis being built by manufactures. There is a big difference in tubing of 120 gauge verses the .095 gauge now used by the top builders in the US. Just a couple years ago a chassis from outside the US was highly talked down, as unsafe, because of the poor material and light weight. But then it seems the lighter weight took over and has progressed to the problem we seem to have today. I don't have my USAC rule book and can't look up the required gauge rule they have but i would bet that many chassis are below that requirment. Don't have any idea how this could be controlled , short of cuting a cage, and that can't be done, but clearly this needs to be looked into more often. I think a manufacture has a responsibility to build and sign off that ,at least the cage, is built with 120 gauge material for safety FIRST.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

In the 50's-70's era, there where many drivers hurt and killed, even though there where much fewer drivers racing and the speeds where slower.

Today; drivers are hurt, but few are killed. I would also believe that far fewer drivers are hurt although there are many many more drivers competing today.

That said, it is tough when drivers are hurt. At the end of the day, this is still a very dangerous game and will always be no matter what safety improvements are made.

The injuries and casualties of the past have lead to the developments today that keep drivers safer and we will learn from today to make tommorrow better.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I believe Scott's post right above this has "hit the nail right on the head".

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Couple thoughts here:

First, people get badly hurt in sprint car racing every year. These days we lose far less of them than we used to, thanks to better safety practices and medical care. The cars, while faster than ever, are as safe as they've ever been. I think we've been pretty lucky here in the Indiana non-wing scene for a little while as far as serious injuries go, and this season it caught up with us. Chalk it up to a rough year. It's the law of averages, and nothing more.

My second take contradicts the first just a bit. Instead of looking at the injuries, why aren't we looking at the causes? I wasn't at Paducah when Kenny Biro was hurt, but didn't he come down cage-first on top of the wall? Why are sprint cars racing at a high-speed track like that without a fence on the wall? It's a recipe for disaster, and it's hurt people two years in a row (Biro this year, Boespflug and Clayton last.) And it's not just Paducah, Kamp and others have the same issue.

As far as the McIntosh incident goes, I ask you this: Would we be having this conversation if she would have had something break in turns three and four of the old track? Highly unlikely. In my opinion, and I preface this by saying that I haven't yet visited new Lawrenceburg, that track is too high-speed to host a weekly show. Judging from all the video I've seen, all the talk I've heard, etc., it's akin to racing every Saturday at Eldora; you're just asking to get a few guys hurt over the course of a season. Would a SAFER barrier have helped Arin? I don't know, but maybe it's something Lawrenceburg should look into since they've poured all that money into the facility and there's really no going back now.

Just my opinions.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I'll add my two cents worth-as wide as burg is now, they should have foam blocks around the outside like Fremont does. the track would still be wider than most.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by Sprinter56:
I think you're talking about wings as those things that absorb impact, someone already thought of that.

NO, I'm not talking about a wing. As crazy as it may sound or look I'm talking about something like a starofoam cap that would fit on top of the cage. high density about 6inch thick. if a car got upside down it would absorb the energy and also protect the driver on the first impact.It may look goofy but when cages first came out people thought they were stupid looking and only for wussies.It maybe something that only select tracks use ,high speed concrete wall tracks. Just like some tracks make you run mufflers some tracks would make you run a cage cap.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

To my knowledge, the material specs for the cage have been the same for the last 10-15 years at least.

To say they need heavier gauge cage material is to say that the cages are failing. To my knowledge, none of the cages have failed. There are some that have been bent, but no complete failures.

Every crash has to be judged on it's own as all are different, but of the crashes I have seen on the local scene, the cages have held up well. I can't speak of any of the ones that I haven't seen.

I personally haven't seen any thing that would want me to change the current material specs or the Halo area. I do like the extentended style of cage design though.

You can also look at it this way as well. If the cage is too rigid and hits the fence first, then instead of it deforming and absorbing the energy, the driver moves and stretches as the energy is transfered. There is a fine line and I believe that the specs and manufactureres are doing a good job of walking that line right now.

The reason containment type seats are required or at least heavily suggested as they are designed to act as a sort of cocoon for the driver and while they don't or can't prevent all injuries, they do act as another safety defense against certain types of impact.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

The trick is to find out exactly how the drivers are being hurt. Unfortunately, I think that we would find that they all are suffering from different types of impact.

If the drivers are being hurt by something other that impacts on top of the cage, then the cap may not be the right fix either. I try and always encourage my customers to use the high density padding in any areas of the cockpit where their head or arms can bang into.

I have to believe that many of the injuries occur during a side impact where the body stretches out toward the outside of the car or in flips that are more side to side in action. As everyone who has seen one knows, a barrell type roll is always using the bodies weight against itself and the upper portion is always being "whipped" around.

That is where the containment seats help as they try to keep the head and shoulders from being "whipped" and the body stays fairly compact.

As far as Arin goes, I didn't see it so I cannot comment on it. I don't even remember the safety equipment she uses. I really like her and her dad I hope for the best.

In a related note on safety. I still see guys not wearing fire proof underwear. If you are a racers crew or even a parent or loved one and you see them with a two-layer suit without underwear on, jump their a$$ and get them to wear them. If you think you are hot with it on, sit through a fire without having it on and see how hot you get.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Robert uses the best saftey equiment available. Robert is always looking for ways to make his cars the safest car out there. The only thing that could have helped in this situation is the NASCAR type safer walls to absorb impact. I really think that this needs to be looked at for this speedway and many others that carry this kind of speeds. I just wanted to clear this up in no way would Robert ever send Arin out without the best safety equipment. The main thing is that we keep Arin, Robert and Alda in our prayers. Arin is the toughest girl that I know and if anyone can recover from this she can. And I believe through the grace of God that she will.

I will also add that we should try to learn from every accident to make this sport as safe as possible.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I agree with LeadersEdge. Chassis are of top quality and construction. They are suposed to still be made of chrome moly tubing. USAC's cage requirements are that they are to be of .120 wall tubing. Whether or not any sacntioning body is checking this I don't know but that makes for a strong cage.

Sprint and Midget racing has to be the MOST dangerous form of circle track racing there is. If you don't think so you better not get in one.

You have to really be one tuff #@&%*@!^ to get in one of these machines and take a hard crash and get out of the thing and walk away. But how many times have we seen drivers do it and said to ourselves how in the hell did he walk away from that? We have all seen it from the WoO to the local race on Sat night. I just don't think people really realize just how dangerous this kind of racing really is until we start seeing all of these people getting hurt.

To me open wheel drivers set themselves apart from other forms of racing and that is what I love about the sport.

Safety equipment is "state of the art" to date and I haven't seen that as being the reason for any of the problems with injuries today. If it is, I want someone to tell me what failed! Everyone should have the right to know.

This is just how I see it..... but I don't want to see drivers getting hurt.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I searched and found some photos of her and the car was as I thought it would be. The best equipment and a well padded cockpit. It appeared to be a LaJoie seat w/head nets.

I like a safer wall concept, but the way it is used now is to absorb impact from heavier/faster vehicles that do not have an open "cage" type **** pit. We use some scrap pieces from the building of the first safer wall system for a frame jig, and it is anything but soft. It's steel square and it is stout. Even with the foam "shock absorber" system behind it, you will still run the risk of hitting the steel wall with your extremities if you flip into it.

I do like the foam idea, but it isn't always the most user friendly for tracks to use.

I have often thought of some form of high impact padding for the top of the fence and then more of the same about half way down the wall, if it is a very tall fence.
Something like a truck dock uses for the face and a round "dome" bolted to the top of the fence with recessed bolts.

There is a product that was offered by a company called "Kemmler" and it was a high shock absorbing type of material that Kirkey offered for their seats for a while. I think that would be a great material for a soft wall at sprint car type tracks.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

my oppion is you can get hurt doing anything now days and us as drivers know getting in the race car that we can get hurt or loose our lives its something you have to consider before jumping in one,, and me id rather get hurt doin something i love than something i dont

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I just wish and pray for everyones safety. The only thing other than agressive driving (Which at times may be necessary to win) is I've noticed a lot of cars this season with NO ROLL BAR PADDING. 2 dollars could reduce a ton of impact and even with containment seats, Belts stretch. Always have and probably always will.

Aren't safer barriers ribbed steel behind a inner steel wall designed to crush and absorb shock on impact. I think this was brought up before that without some kind of cover or something the barrier on a dirt track would fill up with dirt behind them reducing their effectivness. They may also be beyond most promotors ability to install as far as cost and maintainence of them. I don't know. The first part I was told

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

As usual, I think Scott Baue is pretty well spot on, here. Sprint car racing has always been dangerous and it always will be. My Uncle Jim had steel plates in both arms, for the last 40 years of his life, from sprint car racing as it was in the 60's and 70's. But, you would have never known it if you hadn't heard the story from my Aunt. That air of danger is part of what draws people in, from hundreds of miles away, to see it.

With that said, especially with the technology that exists today, every accident with injury that occurs should be investigated fully, to find out what caused it to happen and prevent the same thing from again, in the future. If at all possible.

Jerry

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by robert gatten:
There has always been the tragic results of racing and there will continue to be no matter what is done. That being said, i feel the main problem today is the lighter "throw away" chassis being built by manufactures. There is a big difference in tubing of 120 gauge verses the .095 gauge now used by the top builders in the US. Just a couple years ago a chassis from outside the US was highly talked down, as unsafe, because of the poor material and light weight. But then it seems the lighter weight took over and has progressed to the problem we seem to have today. I don't have my USAC rule book and can't look up the required gauge rule they have but i would bet that many chassis are below that requirment. Don't have any idea how this could be controlled , short of cuting a cage, and that can't be done, but clearly this needs to be looked into more often. I think a manufacture has a responsibility to build and sign off that ,at least the cage, is built with 120 gauge material for safety FIRST.

First of all, the tube used in these chassis, is not measured like common fence "pipe", which is refered to as "gauge". Moly is sold in specified thickness, it is not rolled and welded in a machine, it is actually made from molten material, formed over a "bullet" to a specific wall thickness. Then it is heat treated, and the date and heat treat code are rolled on it, for reference. Most builders will make the main chassis, cage, hoop, downtubes and etc, all from the same heat treat, to keep strength and flex, all in the same "box", and, as modern technology rolls on, you can now buy an instrument, to measure that thickness, anywhere along a rail, for under a $100.00, several years ago, the only one's I knew that had an instrument of this type, was NHRA, and you could "hire" them to come ck the cars some night. Bob

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Chuck,
I noticed in your post before you edited it that you wondered about how many that have been injured were wearing a Hans or similar device,the thing is a Hans doesn't really protect you much against compression or whiplash type injuries.The driver of the car I work on was injured about a month ago while wearing a Hans and still suffered severe whiplash and ligament damage in his neck due to severe rear impact into the wall,the Hans is good for frontal impact but not much protection for the other types of impacts that we see in sprint car crashes. So I feel that wearing a Hans isn't really a determining factor on whether someone gets injured or not.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by CRA91:
Chuck,
I noticed in your post before you edited it that you wondered about how many that have been injured were wearing a Hans or similar device,the thing is a Hans doesn't really protect you much against compression or whiplash type injuries.The driver of the car I work on was injured about a month ago while wearing a Hans and still suffered severe whiplash and ligament damage in his neck due to severe rear impact into the wall,the Hans is good for frontal impact but not much protection for the other types of impacts that we see in sprint car crashes. So I feel that wearing a Hans isn't really a determining factor on whether someone gets injured or not.

Yes I did edit it as im no expert, Just wondering. Im also wondering if the Hans is reducing serious injury. Causing others or in some cases is ineffective as you state above. probably a little bit of all of the above and I still think it's a good idea to wear some type of frontal impact device over nothing at all. Those accidents happen too.

If it can be prevented or lessened, Im all for it! I will say the danger and they all know it is part of the draw for fans and the thrill for the drivers and we all know it.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by TQ29m:
First of all, the tube used in these chassis, is not measured like common fence "pipe", which is refered to as "gauge". Moly is sold in specified thickness, it is not rolled and welded in a machine, it is actually made from molten material, formed over a "bullet" to a specific wall thickness. Then it is heat treated, and the date and heat treat code are rolled on it, for reference. Most builders will make the main chassis, cage, hoop, downtubes and etc, all from the same heat treat, to keep strength and flex, all in the same "box", and, as modern technology rolls on, you can now buy an instrument, to measure that thickness, anywhere along a rail, for under a $100.00, several years ago, the only one's I knew that had an instrument of this type, was NHRA, and you could "hire" them to come ck the cars some night. Bob

didn't know there was such an instrument , where can you purchase one ? If the thickness ,or gauge, isn't less then why can i put two chassis that measure the same and look alike, except for minor differences, on a scale and the 06 model weighs much more than the 08? Never heard of "throw away chassis" until just a few years ago. I'm not down on any builders but do think this subject is needed to be discussed and chassis improved , if posible. I have one that fliped and hit nothing but the track and the rear and side halo is bent down and in about 6 inchs. granted, it did its job but thank god it didn't hit anything harder than the ground.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I thought we all learned our leason on the "light weight" roll cages when Brad Doty got hurt and that was with a wing.

The only wreck I know of where the cage was damaged was Biro's flip and it came down on the concrete wall, but I haven't heard anybody say "it failed". It would really be hard to make any kind of cage to with stand that kind of impact but you also gotta remember it has to be made where a driver can get out of it, upside down, or on its side in case its on fire.

I have seen a couple of sprint cars that had cages that looked like the old dragsters and I wondered then how fast he could get out of it.

If you can remember back in the early 90's there was a Japanese driver killed at Indy when he just hit the wall. Didn't look that bad but they said he hit so hard that his brain hit his skull and that is what killed him. His head didn't hit anything. So go figure???

We are back to this being a dangerous sport, just depends on the person driving and what kind of shape he/she is in or how their built?

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

[QUOTE=Motormasher;69531]I agree with LeadersEdge. Chassis are of top quality and construction. They are suposed to still be made of chrome moly tubing. USAC's cage requirements are that they are to be of .120 wall tubing. Whether or not any sacntioning body is checking this I don't know but that makes for a strong cage.



All cars must have a roll cage, which is integral with the frame and does not encroach upon an imaginary cylinder, 20 inches in diameter, extending through the top cockpit opening directly above the seat. The roll cage must be adequately braced fore and aft, and side to side, to secure it in an upright position in case of
rollover. The roll cage must be gusseted in all four corners with tubular gussets 11/16” OD x .095 wall thickness or 7/8”OD x .065 wall thickness. Gussets must be attached a minimum of 2 inches from the centerline of the angle being
gusseted. Roll cage gussets should be constructed as shown in Illustration #1.
The roll cage should extend four inches above the driver’s helmet when seated in the driving position. Any manufacturer wishing to produce a design that is a departure from standard sprint car construction must submit a finite analysis report for the roll cage structure proving their design is equal in strength.

B. All cars constructed after 1/30/2004 are required to have roll cages constructed of SAE 4130 tubing with a minimum OD of 1 1/2 inches and a minimum wall thickness of .095. For all construction after 10/01/2004, the main uprights supporting the roll cage must be minimum 1 3/8 O.D. and .095 minimum wall thickness.

And that is straight from the Usac rule book. Check it out at http://usacracing.com/assets/files/a...ebook/apdd.pdf

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

The only wreck I know of where the cage was damaged was Biro's flip and it came down on the concrete wall, but I haven't heard anybody say "it failed".

chad boseplugs cage and rob dennis their cages have also collapsed this year or were bent really bad

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by CRA91:
Chuck,
I noticed in your post before you edited it that you wondered about how many that have been injured were wearing a Hans or similar device,the thing is a Hans doesn't really protect you much against compression or whiplash type injuries.The driver of the car I work on was injured about a month ago while wearing a Hans and still suffered severe whiplash and ligament damage in his neck due to severe rear impact into the wall,the Hans is good for frontal impact but not much protection for the other types of impacts that we see in sprint car crashes. So I feel that wearing a Hans isn't really a determining factor on whether someone gets injured or not.

Very true......All the devices work wonders in head on impacts....but for rear or or side to side they do not do much...escpeciallly in side to side which occurs so often in sprint car racing with barrel rolls or side impacts.....safety has come a long way in the last 15 years......with helmets....fire suits.....Head and Neck restraints.....lets be grateful for that.....I believe it is time to check into soft walls like NASCAR.....or figure out something there....Most of the injuries this year are a result of that....

STIDA

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by cecil98:
I don't think sprint cars should be redesigned from what they are now. If they scare you, stay away from them. My suggestion is miminmum 17 years of age and a valid drivers license. Also, at the pit sign in, have a cut out of Barney Rubble or Fred Flintstone that is about 4'-10" tall and have a sign on it that says. "you must be this tall to ride this ride". :)

The problem with the height requirement... well... a quote from this weekend at Granite City can sum it up...

"I'm 28 years old and I'm four inches away from a booster seat..." -Matt Hummel, Brady Bacon's crew chief talking about his days as a driver...

Some people can't help that they're short... :O:

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I know that Jim and I went into a lengthty conversation with Dave Rudicell at Lawrenceburg a while back about the saftey barrier walls. I believe that the track checked into it.... Unfortunately I just can't remember the response he made about it. These cars are going faster and faster and it breaks my heart as a mother to see these serious injuries to all the young adults this year :(

Arin and family you remain in our thoughts and prayers, if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.

Get Well Soon.

Jim and Cindi Whiteside

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

I was at the Burg when Arin got hurt. Track conditions had nothing to do with her injuries. Being as hard and slick as it was, it wasn't near as fast as the place is when heavy. The accident looked mild , as sprint car wrecks go. Unfortunately for Arin , it wasn't as mild as it appeared.Sometimes the easy ones hurt the most.

Sometimes you do everything right and it still goes wrong:(

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by racechic66:
I know that Jim and I went into a lengthty conversation with Dave Rudicell at Lawrenceburg a while back about the saftey barrier walls. I believe that the track checked into it.... Unfortunately I just can't remember the response he made about it. These cars are going faster and faster and it breaks my heart as a mother to see these serious injuries to all the young adults this year :(

Arin and family you remain in our thoughts and prayers, if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.

Get Well Soon.

Jim and Cindi Whiteside

That barrier was only proposed for the area around the track exit. I believe the response was that it was deemed the barrier would fill up with dirt and become ineffective and very hard to maintain. I've noticed little issues from the barrier they came up with but it was never proposed for the whole track that I know of.

My understanding of the safer barrier is a bunch of triangle metal crush zones behind a metal wall
_______________________ Track
________________________ Metal Barrier wall
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Traingular steel Baffles designed to crush
________________________ Concrete wall
If the open areas of that crush zones gets filled with dirt then it will not crush as designed. Don't know if there is a cap available for it a vaccum system or something or even if it's econmically possible for a short track.

Chuck

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Maybe the safest way to race a sprintcar, if that statement can be made, is to not run tracks bigger than a 1/4 mile! That would answer alot of the questions on here, such as, speed, hp, impacts, etc. And the wall thickness of tubing can be measured in a matter of seconds, we check wall thickness of tubing in boilers all the time, but I doubt $100 will buy the device.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

"I was at the Burg when Arin got hurt. Track conditions had nothing to do with her injuries. Being as hard and slick as it was, it wasn't near as fast as the place is when heavy. The accident looked mild , as sprint car wrecks go. Unfortunately for Arin , it wasn't as mild as it appeared.Sometimes the easy ones hurt the most.

Sometimes you do everything right and it still goes wrong "

The quote above is from racephoto1

Not trying to start an argument but sharing my opinion. The track looked black and slick but it was a rubber down race track. All race car drivers and owners know what that means. The track becomes like a tacky race track and is super fast. They were flying around the bottom pulling wheelies off the turn. My guess 2 seconds quicker than what we hot lapped on Friday night. Arin was one of the fastest cars on the track and had just passed for fourth position when Arins tire let go the car went up the race track sending her out of the rubber. It looked from my perspective that the car picked up speed because we all know that when we get out of the rubber it is like hitting an Ice patch. At that point Arin was along for the ride. She hit the wall left side first as hard as I have seen a car hit the wall. Arin is a great race car driver I have watched her from when she started she has better car control than most drivers out there. From all of my experience and watching it happen there was nothing she could have done different to avoid the situation. Again everyone please Keep Arin, Robert and Alda in your prayers. She is one tough cookie and she will get through this. On a side note I am in the begining stages of getting a fund raiser going. Any ideas or anything you would like to Donate please let me know.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Kevin,
If there is anything i can help you with on the fund raiser please let me know as I will help out in any way I can. Rob, Alda and Arin are some of the best people I know.

Kevin

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by riskybrisky5:
"I was at the Burg when Arin got hurt. Track conditions had nothing to do with her injuries. Being as hard and slick as it was, it wasn't near as fast as the place is when heavy. The accident looked mild , as sprint car wrecks go. Unfortunately for Arin , it wasn't as mild as it appeared.Sometimes the easy ones hurt the most.

Sometimes you do everything right and it still goes wrong "

The quote above is from racephoto1

Not trying to start an argument but sharing my opinion. The track looked black and slick but it was a rubber down race track. All race car drivers and owners know what that means. The track becomes like a tacky race track and is super fast. They were flying around the bottom pulling wheelies off the turn. My guess 2 seconds quicker than what we hot lapped on Friday night. Arin was one of the fastest cars on the track and had just passed for fourth position when Arins tire let go the car went up the race track sending her out of the rubber. It looked from my perspective that the car picked up speed because we all know that when we get out of the rubber it is like hitting an Ice patch. At that point Arin was along for the ride. She hit the wall left side first as hard as I have seen a car hit the wall. Arin is a great race car driver I have watched her from when she started she has better car control than most drivers out there. From all of my experience and watching it happen there was nothing she could have different to avoid the situation. Again everyone please Keep Arin, Robert and Alda in your prayers. She is one tough cookie and she will get through this. On a side note I am in the begining stages of getting a fund raiser going. Any ideas or anything you would like to Donate please let me know.

Kevin,

Please let me know how and where to donate. I am willing to do what I can to help out. I took my niece to a race this year and of course Arin was her favorite. We went and talked to her in the pits and she was one of the nicest people I have met. I have been praying for her and the family since I heard of the accident.

Jason Watt

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

It is great to read about all the interesting ideas on how to make open wheel racing more safe...too bad it takes serious incidents to make it of interest.

Here are a couple of thoughts for you...
Racing is dangerous under the best of conditions...safety must a full-time concern.

Head and neck restraining systems are designed to prevent basilar skull fractures (the injury that killed Earnhardt and so many others) and neck injuries resulting from primarily impacts to the front and some toward the sides. Some of the newer devices are even better for side impacts. A well-designed and properly fitting seat with head restraints will do amazing things to protect from side and rear impacts.

Firesuits must be at least 2 layers and must be worn with fire-resistant long sleeve underwear...and must be replaced periodically. Gloves need to also be replaced when holes appear, or when badly soiled or contaminated with petroleum fluids...can you say "wick?"

Belts need to properly installed and replaced every 2 years...period! Dirt is an abrasive...it works into the fibers of the belts and cut fibers, weakening the belts. Sunlight (UV exposure) also causes loss of belt strength. Wash them now and then per manufacturers instructions.

Helmets must meet current standards and must fit properly. Impact is located smack in the middle of Indiana...see them or someone like Chet from Simpson to get a proper fit for your helmet...it is what they do!!! If the helmet takes a hit from debris or a crash, get it checked...replace as recommended. Helmets need to be considered to be nearly a disposable, not a "lasts forever" piece of equipment.

May God bless all of our injured and grant them healing.

http://racingsafety.blogspot.com/

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

Originally Posted by riskybrisky5:
The only thing that could have helped in this situation is the NASCAR type safer walls to absorb impact.

OK, I am getting nitpicky on this, but NASCAR had very little to do with the development of the SAFER Barriers. While it's true, they are featured at NASCAR tracks, they were developed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the University of Nebraska.

Only after their development did NASCAR get in with the program, but now they take all the credit and it upsets me.

End of rant.

Re: Sprintcar Drivers safety and getting hurt???
 

First, I want to express my prayers for Arin and her family. There's little that I can add to what's already been said about them by many others.

One image that sticks in my mind from this summer is Arin in the dirt replacing the gears on her sprint car for a night of racing at Lawrenceburg. This was just after she told me about her plans to attend IUPUI this year on a scholarship -- an academic scholarship.


Second, I concur with the comments above from Safetyworker. The first line of defense for any driver is his or her safety equipment. I am constantly amazed at the poor, or lack of, safety gear I see on competitors -- whether it be winged, non-winged, sprint, midget, late model, modfied, sanctioned, non-sanctioned. These are choices of individuals. Anyone choosing to wear only a t-shirt under their driving uniform is playing with fire. Literally.

I remember watching in shock about 13 years ago as I took pictures of a driver preparing the qualify at Winchester in a midget. His arm restraints were so worn that the velcro would no longer hold them together. The solution, under the watchful eye of a race official, was duct tape and a promise to get new ones.

I trust that Arin took to the track with the best safety equipment available. I've never seen her not wear the fire protective underwear under her uniform. Each year she's donated her helmet to our charity auction at Fort Wayne, so that's updated each year.

Third, racing today is the safest its ever been. Drivers have available excellent safety equipment. Improvements are constantly being made to protect the drivers in their cars. Had this crash happened 40 or 30 years ago, we would not be praying for Arin's recovery. Arin survived Saturday night because of those improvements, and because of the grace of God. We're all thankful for that.

Heal quickly, Arin.

Jim Morrison