5 million isn't "nearly" 6 million If his salary is 3x that of a top flight Indycar driver making 2 million. One million dollars is considerable difference. And I'll add that unless there's proof, I don't believe he's making 5 million.
When Did Danger in Motorsports Become Unacceptable? I am writing this blurb after one of the most exciting Indycar races I’ve ever seen. Too bad the race was put on NBC Sports Network and there were only about 5,000 people in the stands that got to witness one of the most breathtaking exhibitions of racing to ever take place. I figured after that race everyone would be talking about what a show it was and how thrilling it was to see these guys slice and dice 3, 4, and 5 wide going 215 mph mere inches from each other. But largely what I saw was a handful of drivers and some fans saying that this type of racing was unacceptable and it was too dangerous. Too dangerous? Really? Really? The last time I checked there were inherent dangers in racing and part of the thrill was seeing drivers put it all on the line to be the best on that day doing something they were blessed with the talent to do. So, I had to ask myself, when exactly did the danger associated with motorsports become unacceptable? First, let me get this off my chest, I do not wish to see drivers injured or worse in motorsports. I want to see good, hard racing with drivers putting everything on the line for the win. I want to see side-by-side conflicts with drivers pushing one another to be greater than they dreamed they could be. At heart, I’m still that 7 year old kid that thought I would be a racing champion one day even though I realize that is never to be for me. My heartrate goes up and I get on the edge of my seat and feel the rush of daring passes and feel for the drivers when they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And I feel the rush when a driver I genuinely like takes home a win and can channel that emotion he’s feeling sitting in the comfort of my living room. But, at the end of the day, motorsports itself has risks. Part of that thrill is knowing how close to the edge these drivers take things and knowing that any moment in time can be implanted in our minds for generations to come. Safety innovations have come a long way in auto racing. Gone are the days of truly dangerous tracks for the most part. For every seemingly senseless death in auto racing lessons have been learned. Track designers and innovators of safety have learned valuable lessons through tragedy. Now, in today’s day and age, we don’t ever expect to see drivers injured much less killed. Sure it happens on Saturday night short tracks from time to time but those cars are not as safe and those tracks generally do not have the level of safety that big league motorsports tracks have in place. How many Saturday night short tracks can afford safer barriers to be honest? Most of them are doing good by being in operation at all in 2015. We have safer cockpits, safer walls, safer cars, and they’ve gotten rid of grass at most tracks in key places. Every year the cars and the tracks take leaps to be safer and safer. And I am all for that. In fact, the only criticism I have of California at all in terms of safety is that they should just ditch the grass area on the frontstretch. Paint the pavement green if you want the grass look. I think that’s the only reason that Ryan Briscoe got upside down coming to the white flag on Saturday. I’m all for safety and don’t want to see anyone seriously injured. But let’s be honest here for a minute. As fans we are watching engineers build the fastest cars possible to win an auto racing event. We watch drivers with reflexes that most of us couldn’t fathom do things that boggle our minds. And from time to time the law of inevitability will catch up with someone. Unfortunately in 2011 it caught up with fan favorite Dan Wheldon. Everyone argued at the time that the cars shouldn’t be in big packs at Vegas and disaster was around the corner. In one sense I agree with that sentiment but there’s a big, big difference between Vegas and California. Las Vegas is a shorter and tighter track than California. And California was wide enough to accommodate 4 wide racing down the straights and 3 wide in the turns. It’s no different than looking at NASCAR at Talladega as opposed to Martinsville. Going 3 wide at Dega is no issue if everyone minds their P’s and Q’s but you aren’t going to get away with it on a tighter configuration like Martinsville. The Indycar drivers that expressed their concern after that race are entitled to their opinion 100% just like I’m entitled to mine. I find it disappointing though that you have guys that blasted the racing citing danger. Every one of the 23 drivers that were on the track on Saturday had two pedals – gas and brake. And they all had the ability to get out of situations if they felt they were in a bad spot. So I say don’t get out of the car and talk about how dangerous it was if you were forcing 3 and 4 wide moves swerving from the top of the track to the bottom or vice versa trying to slingshot around other cars. I would like to thank Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Sage Karem, Takuma Sato, Ed Carpenter, and even AJ Foyt for all basically defending the racing. I would invite Tony Kanaan or Will Power to put themselves in my shoes for one minute. Be a lifetime fan of a sport with aspirations to drive a car growing up and not having that opportunity. Have a mortgage, 3 kids, car payments, other bills, etc and struggle to make it paycheck to paycheck. But still be a fan and passionate about auto racing and feel like you’ve just saw some of the best racing of your life. Then have those guys get out of a car and say that it’s too dangerous. Will, Tony, any other driver against that racing this weekend I implore you to step out of your car and let me drive it. I know full well the dangers involved and what could happen on any given race day. Don’t say that it’s easy for me to criticize you because I wasn’t out there when I would love to have the opportunity that you have. I would suit up tomorrow without a second’s worth of hesitation and have no regrets if things turned out badly because I would go out doing what I loved. We used to prop up the drivers of yesteryear to God like status because, even with the danger involved from week to week and race to race, they still strapped in the car and went out there and hung it out on the ragged edge. They would lose several fellow brothers each year to death yet they kept soldering on. In 2015 death is not an option. It shouldn’t even be up for discussion for many. Yet, we are discussing and watching something that is inherently dangerous. Things happen and sometimes bad things happen. I never want to witness or hear of a racing death the rest of my natural born life. I don’t think the racing was out of line in California on Saturday. I think that thrill, excitement, and actual pulse raising racing is what it’s all about. I cannot apologize for thinking that was some of the best racing I have ever seen in my entire life nor should I have to. But we live in a day and age where everyone is offended by everything under the sun and we’ve become weak at heart. Those guys out there on Saturday in California were modern day gladiators and they put on a spectacle like no other. I applaud them for putting on such a tremendous show. Anytime someone gets close to the perceived line of safety some people freak out and want sweeping changes. If they raced like that every single week it would be one thing but part of what made that special is that’s something we rarely see in auto racing. Some of the absolute best drivers in the world inches from disaster but making it look like a well-orchestrated ballet. Yet, after that the thing we are discussing the most is the danger aspect and if it’s too dangerous. Last time I checked racing in general presented a level of danger that used to be understood by those that participated. How many guys in the lower tiered open wheel series would step in without a moment’s hesitation if some of those guys on Saturday wouldn’t want to race? I would be willing to bet 90% of them would be out there in a heartbeat. The point of this whole rambling post is this. Racing is dangerous and sometimes freak accidents happen and it is the drizzling shits but sometimes we lose good people. No true race fan wants to see anyone get injured or die. But at the same time most true race fans, in my opinion, want to see the guys push the limits and feel the rush that only racing can provide. If you can’t deal with level of danger in 2015 with all of the safety innovations in place then maybe you should find a new hobby more your speed like crochet. But, what do I know? I’m just a fan with an opinion.
I think the drivers would be more willing to accept the risks if the sport wasn't a complete embarrassment outside of Indy. It wasn't that much different than what we've seen at Indy the past few years and no driver ever complains about it. I feel like there is a bit of "What's the point?" going around the paddock as far as risks go. IndyCar oval racing, and IndyCar racing in general has never been more exciting. I've seen some of the most ridiculous racing in the past 3-4 years, and all that happens is that the ratings just keep going to depths I've never known. The crowds get smaller and smaller, and the series just keeps deep ****ing the fans that are left, fans that never would have imagined a life where IndyCars weren't a big part of their hobby. As a matter of fact, there's no better on track racing product than IndyCar. And it's met with indifference the world over. I honestly don't see that changing, at least in my generation, until the Hulmans give up the series. I don't mean that as a shot at Tony, I've shook his hand, I have no problem with him as a person. But he can't run IndyCar, and his sisters have no business at all being anywhere close to running it, and Mari is losing it. This series needs new blood at the top, it doesn't need innovation, it can survive as a spec series too, TBH. It needs racers and promoters to run the series. Derrick Walker is a good example of that, but he had to toe the party line which was abysmal. Miles should have begged Walker to be the new IndyCar dictator, he should have listened to anything Walker had to say.
I certainly agree that drivers in the day should be revered for racing with the risks they faced. And I would be right there to give it a try if I could. DND's description of a would be race driver fits me quite well. I agree cars are light years ahead as far as safety, but to think they are beyond potential fatal injuries would be a mistake. Sooner or later there will be another fatality, it is inevitable at these speeds. I do agree there is a brake pedal, and if you are not up to the challenge, stay out. Well written.
