MOTOR SPORTS: Earnhardt's influence will live on

In response to David Fleming's article "Speed or Safety" February 19th, ESPN Magazine, he makes some fine points but as usual experiences tunnel vision. He suggests that NASCAR is ignoring safety for television market share.

NASCAR is very much unlike any other sport. Their fans are the most loyal, their celebrities are the most approachable and real, and their product is arguably the most pure of all sports. Although it is arguable that in fact racing is a 'sport,' that is a topic for another day.

It's easy for someone like him or myself to sit back and criticize their efforts with respect to safety standards. Of course WE aren't the magnets reeling in the millions of dollars in sponsorships and earnings each weekend on the circuit. We also are not the guys sitting behind the wheel of a customized high powered street car look alike. Ultimately, the drivers "union" decides which safety measures are acceptable. If they disagree with something, it usually fades away without much press. How many drivers did you hear Sunday claim that when you regulate all the cars the same to form bunches, you can expect "this to happen"? Of course they were referring to cleaning up the 19 car bumper derby prior to the fatal last lap.

NASCAR is in a Catch-22, so to speak. They want to gain national popularity and the revenue that comes with it. They are struggling with the question of how to make their sport more entertaining, more exciting, and more attractive to new race fans. On the flip side, they must maintain a clean image without jeapordizing the welfare of the race teams and drivers themselves. It must be very difficult to decide how to push the envelope of excitement while simultaneously managing the natural law of physics.

My heart goes out to them all.