FanHouse Safety

What a terrible way to start the season. Or to end it. Or to happen at all. Period.

WPBF in northern Florida reported that a 73-year-old man died over the weekend when he tried to remove a loaded muzzleloader rifle from his truck. The gun accidentally discharged, hitting Johnny G. Hurst in the chest. He was pronounced dead on the scene. And what makes it even worse is that his wife and two sons witnessed the accident.

Hunting, as a sport, has to deal with a lot of public relations issues, probably more than any other recreation. For instance we all hear from the bunny huggers that try to shame and guilt us for "slaying bambi." But that stuff is trivial compared to safety issues. No doubt the worst thing to happen in our community is when someone is killed.

So, I'm going to have to be a nagging teacher. A few reminders from the hunter safety handbook are after the jump. Study up. We all have a responsibility to be safe in the woods.

Prior to today's race, Kevin Harvick was "comfortable" in his car of tomorrow.

But he wasn't too comfortable today when he had to pull over and jump out of his car after the IMPAXX foam went up in flames.

In the broadcast interview, Harvick said, "This thing just started burning up. So ... it's almost turning into a joke now."

Is this the consistent performance at temperature extremes that Dow promised?

Last week when the foam in Matt Kenseth's car melted, NASCAR said it was because the #19 team didn't have the foam "properly encased."

That's not what Kenseth says.

NASCAR is touting the "safer" car of tomorrow a "pretty damn good success" at Bristol.

But Brian Vickers burned his feet and his butt. Greg Biffle complained of an "unusual amount" of carbon monoxide in his system during testing. Denny Hamlin said the same after the race and added that the car was hotter than usual. Others experienced issues with the IMPAXX foam overheating, melting and producing toxic fumes.

So ... just how safe is the COT? Apparently, no one knows yet. Officials are scrambling to address a few issues.

I'm wondering why the issue of the foam's performance under intense heat is just coming up now.

The Dow Company claims consistent performance at temperature extremes. They certainly don't mention anything about it melting or producing toxic fumes.

But I spoke to a California Speedway emergency worker who told me that when they were briefed about the IMPAXX foam in February, officials were unable to answer very simple questions about the product.

Questions such as: What is the fire-rating? What is it made of? What will first responders be breathing if and when they are exposed to its fumes while putting out flames and assisting drivers exiting their wrecked cars?

These are questions that should have been answered way before now.

NASCAR is making vice president of competition Robin Pemberton and Nextel Cup series director John Darby available for a press conference to discuss solutions to these and other issues Friday morning.

They have some 'splaining to do.

Yes. There will be increased accidents in NASCAR, despite increased safety efforts--at least according to two college economics professor who produced a study in 2006 that explored how drivers react to having cars so safe that they can generally walk away with no injuries after crashing into a concrete wall or another car at a very high rate of speed.

Based on the results of the study, Todd Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Economics at Penn State Behrend and an avid NASCAR fan, projects that drivers will drive more recklessly and take more risks while driving the Car of Tomorrow:

"Initially, there will be a learning curve for everyone, which will likely increase the number of accidents as drivers and crews get used to the vehicles. Once the learning curve has passed, we predict that the new normal rate of crashes will be higher than it is currently because of the response to additional safety features on the Car of Tomorrow."

The study, "Automobile safety regulation and the incentive to drive recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR," shows that NASCAR drivers, in fact, do drive more recklessly in response to the increased safety of their vehicles. However, even with an increase in accidents, there is a reduction in total injuries-because the increase in riskier driving is not enough to offset the benefits from an increase in safety features.

Nesbit also noted that while NASCAR promises the COT will save the teams money, profitability could be offset by the cost of repairs due to increased accidents.

So ... let me get this straight. NASCAR exhausts all of this effort to improve safety just so the drivers can drive more recklessly?

Hell yeah! You wouldn't expect 'em to get off the gas, would you?

This week saw tragic accidents in both the NHRA and IRL leagues.

John Force Racing's funny car driver Eric Medlen, 33, who had emerged as one of the most popular young drivers in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, succumbed Friday afternoon to injuries suffered when his race car crashed into a guardwall during a Monday test session at Gainesville Raceway.

Argentinian Indy Pro Series driver Pablo Perez, 24, who drives for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, underwent surgery on both legs yesterday following a horrific crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He is currently in serious, but stable condition.

These tragedies make me think I have it easier as a stock car racing fan. And I can't help but find myself grateful to NASCAR for stepping up their commitment to driver safety.

Since 2001, several tracks have been upgraded with safer barriers and all drivers are now required to wear the HANS device.

The car of tomorrow brings yet another improvement: IMPAXX™ Energy Absorbing Foam provided by Dow Automotive, which is designed to absorb and attenuate energy in a crash:

The energy of the impact is managed through a series of controlled reactions within the foam. The result is a controlled release of energy, allowing forces to be better spread throughout the vehicle from the time of impact to the end of the crash sequence.

Bristol Motor Speedway is certainly a fine choice of racetrack for IMPAXX to make its debut.

Sunday is the big day for the Car of Tomorrow, which has been been the focus of NASCAR's Research and Devlepment team for the past seven years.

About the new era of cars, NASCAR touts improved safety for drivers and better cost management for teams.

They also claim it will improve competition.

I'll reserve my judgment on that 'til after Bristol, where, according to former champion and ESPN broadcaster Rusty Wallace, cars will be all over the racetrack:

"The Car of Tomorrow is a car that I thought would have unloaded and debuted in Charlotte, Michigan or a bigger track. To take it to a short track right away is surprising to many people. It's going to be unbelievable. The COT is designed with a splitter in the front of the car and it limits how far the car can travel into the turns and how far the nose can come down. Before, teams could have run any type of shocks and spring packages to run well, but the splitter on the COT really limits the travel of the car. This weekend we'll see cars all over the race track, bouncing up and down. Teams will be running very stiff packages to keep the car off the ground and it's going to be very exciting to see. With less downforce we should see a lot of sliding around and I expect to see a lot of wrecks. It's going to be exciting to see because of the peculiarity of the car and it's so uncommon for what we've had for years and years."

According to the IndyStar, rookie safety Antoine Bethea is making a serious push for the safety starting job opposite of Bob Sanders.

Last year, Bethea was starting at Howard University, a I-AA team. Pretty large swing of events I'd say.

"He's played very well,'' coach Tony Dungy said of the team's sixth-round draft pick. "He's been an eye-catcher in practice and in summer school and all the way through, and it's continued on.''

Bethea had stellar stats at Howard. In 31 games he had over 300 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 3 sacks. In his first preseason game with the Colts, Bethea lead the team in tackles and in his second he recorded an interception and a fumble recovery.

His competition? That would be Mike Doss (who has been suffering from a lingering calf injury) and Matt Giordano.

Don't be at all surprised to see Bethea in the starting lineup on opening day.

This off-season, Marlin Jackson, the Indianapolis Colts 1st round pick in 2005, had to listen to critics recommend that the Colts move him from corner back to safety.

"They told me when they drafted me that I was going to play corner," Jackson said. "I'm improving the way I wanted to, and I think I've gotten better."

To be honest, Jackson had a less then stellar rookie season. He played in 15 games, recording only 43 tackle, 1 interception, and 0 forced fumbles. According to sources, Coach Tony Dungy called out Jackson's play against the Rams in the team's first pre-season game. However, after looking at the stats in his game against the Saints, Jackson recorded 4 tackles and a forced fumble. Talk about mixed signals...

Keep in mind that it was only Marlin's rookie season last year. Let's not get down on him yet and hope that there is improvement to come.