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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Jul. 20, 2016
Volume X, Edition CXX
Top News
Despite auto racing's balls-to-the-wall reputation for daring, danger, and the occasional death, there's one universal truth that's important to remember.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
It can take the form of a driver backing off the throttle just a second sooner. It can take the form of a driver settling into line instead of adding a fourth lane down the backstretch at Talladega. It can take the form of a tire changer opting to hit five lug nuts instead of the quicker option of three. It can take the form of a crew chief calling for four new Goodyears instead of taking two, like everyone else.
Or it can take the form of a driver knowing when to see his doctor.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the right call and erred on the side of safety when he opted to see his doctor about allergies that just wouldn't clear up promptly. Given Junior's history of concussions, including symptoms serious enough in 2012 to warrant him missing two weeks on the Sprint Cup schedule, playing it safe in advance of being sorry was the smart thing to do.
It's important to make good choices whenever possible.
Junior made good choices.
Everyone in sports knows the dangers of brain injuries, concussions, and what happens when such conditions go ignored. And it's not just the professionals in the stick-and-ball realm who need to be aware of what can go wrong and when to seek help. As coach of my son's Pee Wee baseball team last summer, my first official duty was to undergo league-mandatory concussion diagnosis-and-treatment training. The training earned me a certificate in how to handle player concussions, but it also earned me something far more important.
The training taught me just how minor the symptoms of brain injury or even a "mild" concussion can look. And the adjective "mild" is a serious misnomer; a concussion is a concussion, pure-and-simple.
To treat any head or brain injury as mild is to put an athlete in danger of greater harm, harm that may not make itself known for weeks, months, or even years. The good news is that most "mild" concussion symptoms can be treated effectively with rest. Ignoring the simple advice to rest can lead to greater dangers.
That's the wrong time to be sorry for ignoring the harsh realities….
Regular readers of my columns know that concussions suffered by race car drivers is a somewhat ghoulish area of my research as a NASCAR/motorsports historian. I have given several lectures over the past few years about the effect of concussions on stock car racing, in particular the tragic outcomes of such NASCAR notables as Lee Roy Yarbrough (who was institutionalized), Fred Lorenzen (who requires assisted living), and Dick Trickle (who committed suicide).
And the list gets longer. Head injuries shortened the careers of Ernie Irvan, Steve Park, Mike Alexander, Ricky Craven, and Hall of Famer Bobby Allison. One can only speculate as to just how many other drivers over the years were poised on the edge of long-term disabilities from repeated blows to the brain against steering wheels, roll cages, and headrests.
What's most important is that the racing community is finally acknowledging the problem and striving for improvements. Helmets and cars are better designed and constructed, and medical protocols have been instituted. An even more significant development is the idea that drivers are agreeing to donate their brains for research into CTE-related dementia. Junior started the trend that's being followed by Fred Lorenzen and Dario Franchitti. Might we include names like Foyt, Andretti, and Allison? Now if only others, regardless of their history of injuries, will join the effort. Imagine the database we can develop given decades of trauma and awareness of just how serious often "minor" impacts can be.
The head might stop moving, but the brain does not. The unseen can lead to dangers unforeseen.
We often say that past experience is the best teacher, and – for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – that is certainly the case. It is because of Earnhardt's past concussions that NASCAR has instituted its baseline brain scan policy. Some preseason precaution will hopefully protect against future disabilities or worse.
Not seeing Dale Jr. turning laps at New Hampshire was a good start. Having Jeff Gordon swap retirement for a return to the Brickyard this coming weekend would continue Junior's necessary journey to full recovery. A driver cannot win if a driver is too injured to drive well. And when it comes to a concussion, no matter how mild it might be, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
For me, Dale's unspoken apology is wholeheartedly accepted….
TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:
by Amy Henderson
Tuesday's Answer:
A: Bown was leading under yellow when his safety belts came undone. He then stopped on the backstretch in order to fix them. This happened while ESPN's Dave DeSpain was interviewing Bown's crew chief, Jeff Hensley. The instance can be seen here.
In The Frontstretch Newsletter:
We'll have any news that breaks in the world of NASCAR, plus a look at tonight's Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby in the Critic's Annex.
On Frontstretch.com:
Toni Montgomery returns with her weekly look at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Nitro Shots.
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
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