Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

There ‘s an inside metal fence at the Grove as well. Obviously not substantial enough to prevent a sprint car from going over and through it.

Terrible tragedy. Thoughts and prayers for his family and friends.

I may have misunderstoo.  I thought the car went into infield in a spot where there was no fence. 

Just a question,  how many spectators have been killed at Williamsgrove or at at any track in the last let's say 30 years!

This is a sad event but I suspect this man was doing something he loved very much on his last Friday on earth. 

In regard to the above post, I think I know your point. The millions of fans who dont get hurt is evidence that the sport is somewhat safe and a freak accident doesnt mean every race track needs to spend a million dollars on bubble wrap. We consider the risk everytime we do anything. If someone wants to risk being 10 ft from the inside of the racetrack , if the track permits it, go ahead, just dont force someone else to join you.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

2 too many. A person was injured by a car flipping into a push truck at Lincoln in the early 2000's. I believe it was Fred Putney's nephew? Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean that it won't and when there's an obvious situation where something can be done, it needs to be done. Such as the spectators standing around the stage at Port and tonight, they took care of it. If we'd asked the question "How many drivers have died from hitting the pit opening at BAPS?" exactly one year ago today, the answer would've zero. Logan Wagner hit that opening HARD a few years ago. I was there and I was 100% sure I just witnessed a driver being killed and that should have been a wake up call but no one answered until we lost Greg. There are no doubt lessons to be learned from Friday night. Some of those lessons are obvious and I'd assume, we'll see some things change for the better from here on out. From reading the articles about Mr. Speck, it's obvious that he was an exceptionally good man. I never met him but he's part of our family. RIP and continued thoughts and prayers with the Speck family, Robbie Kendall and those who unfortunately had to witness up close what had happened last night.

Whatever the number,  one is way too many since racing has begun!

I feel this way about the drivers that put on a show for us.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

I used to stand against the guardrail in turn 4 and could feel some of the cars knock the fence with the left front. Was it a risk? Yes, but I accepted it. You occupy space within the trajectory of a race car at a race track, you should assume the risk. 

The wreck at Lincoln in the early 2000s prompted Lincoln to change much of the infield.  Bobby Putney was paralized due to the incident.

BAPS Speedway certainly reacted quickly with all new front stretch fencing and and the new pitgate after Greg Hodnett's unforunate accident. I just wish more tracks would be proactive rather than reactive when these accidents occur.

Thanks for the correction. I thought he'd passed. I'll fix the post. 

If the victim was a push truck driver wouldn't there be a designated area for the push trucks to park during the races?  Wouldnt the track officials be directing where they are allowed to park while waiting to push off the next event?  I'm not familiar with what route around the infield and where they park there but tracks that I'm familiar with control those things.  If that is the case then he wasn't somewhere he shouldn't have been and if he was they would have had him move back.  

This was an awful thing for the fans the see.  We had two people hit by a Mod 4 outside the track at Brainerd, Minnesota, about ten years ago.  One recovered and is able to lead a normal life but the other has been institutionalized ever since due to the head injury he suffered.  I would chat with both of them when I used to get up there prior to the accident and have stood in the spot where they were hurt.  It makes a person think twice and that incident did not involve Sprint Cars.

Stan Meissner