In 2001, two major events occurred during which most people can recall where they were when they happened. The first one was 9/11, and the second one was Dale Earnhardt’s death. Whether you’re a NASCAR fan or not, it was one of those moments when the world stopped for a moment and everybody was talking about it. Earnhardt’s death at Daytona that year shook NASCAR to its core and changed the way racing was done around the world forever.
2020 was supposed to be the “safest” year yet for NASCAR, with multiple improvements made to the cars.
After Ryan Newman’s scary crash, everything is getting called into question all over again.
In 2010, Newman and Denny Hamilton were both fined by NASCAR for voicing their opinions about Talladega’s rules and regulations. The two racers claimed the rules weren’t fair to them and complained about false cautions being called. NASCAR didn’t like hearing that and reportedly said they issued the fine to protect their brand. This brought about much discussion surrounding the sport and whether or not other sports would ever take away freedom of speech.
Newman wasn’t a newbie to the sport or to the Daytona race in general. He had won it once before in 2008 and even scooped the Rookie of the Year award away from Jimmie Johnson in 2002.
Advances made on the cars include laminated windshields, which are easier to tear off. They also utilize anti-whiplash technology. And don’t forget the roll cages. Those have improved dramatically over the years.
Newman’s crash was violent- sliding across the finish line, sparks flying and gas pouring out onto the track. Beforehand, Ryan Blaney locked bumpers with him and turned him sideways, then Corey LaJoie slammed into him going full speed, unable to react in time.
Newman isn’t new to crashing either. He rolled once before in Daytona in 2003 and had another bad wreck in ’09. This one on Monday easily tops them all.
After all these new safety measures and all the money spent on driver safety, was it even worth it? Maybe the whiplash technology or the windshield saved Newmans’s life. Or maybe it didn’t make a difference at all. Maybe we’ll always find something else that needs to be improved. Will NASCAR continue to change things in the name of safety? Will the sport even be recognizable 20 years from now? Or is this the beginning of the end for NASCAR as we know it?
