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Meg, I liked the flowers, too! Especially the gold/yellow one. I would much much rather look at those than the wrecks. I opened one of the wrecks and ignored...
Daytona crash has Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle concerned about safety
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, July 10, 2009
Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle remains winless this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Sam Cranston
NASCAR Scene
JOLIET, Ill. – Despite NASCAR’s efforts to promote safety on the track, Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle worries that a driver could still be seriously injured if his car is hit multiple times in a crash.
Last weekend at Daytona, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota hit the wall and was struck by several cars on the final lap before coming to rest at the finish line.
Busch walked away uninjured, but Biffle fears that not every driver might be so lucky in the future. Concerns about safety are always heightened at Daytona and Talladega – NASCAR’s two restrictor-plate tracks – because of the high speeds and close-quarters racing that can breed major accidents.
There’s also the issue of blocking, which happened last week when Busch moved up the track in an attempt to keep Tony Stewart from passing and was turned head-on into the wall.
“I can tell you one thing: You can get hurt in these cars,” Biffle said at Chicagoland Speedway, site of Saturday’s LifeLock.com 400. “It hurts when you crash at 175 miles an hour. I think there are some guys pushing that envelope thinking that somebody is going to give. They’re playing chicken. When one guy is moving over to block, you’ve got three choices: One, let up on the gas. Two, move over and let him run you up the race track, or, three, spin him out. Guys are testing that to see what the guy is going to do.
“When you can see the checkered flag from here to there, it’s tough to just roll over and play dead, but at the same time, you don’t want to get turned around on the frontstretch in front of the whole field. But you can get hurt in these cars, and it does hurt when you crash in these things.”
The last NASCAR Cup driver to be fatally injured in a crash was Dale Earnhardt, who died from injuries suffered on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Three other NASCAR drivers – Kenny Irwin (Cup), Adam Petty (what is now the Nationwide Series) and Tony Roper (Truck) died in crashes in 2000.
But since Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR has put considerable emphasis on driver safety. The most notable measures have been the addition of a HANS (Head-and-Neck Support) device that drivers are required to wear, SAFER barriers at individual tracks and NASCAR’s bulkier new model Cup car, which is widely considered safer than its predecessor.
But even with those improvements, Biffle believes drivers could still get hurt – especially in accident such as Busch’s at Daytona.
“The thing that concerns me is just the safety aspect of the cars getting slowed down enough after there’s a crash like that,” Biffle said. “He got hit multiple times. Some thought of mine was, ‘Are people slowing down or are they trying to still race to the line to get their finishing position?’ I’ve got a concern with that because he got hit by the 9 [car of Kasey Kahne] and then got hit by other cars. He got hit by a car that was behind me on the race track pretty hard, which tells me that maybe that guy wasn’t slowing down as quick as he could have been. So that’s one concern.”
Biffle says that drivers can do a better job of slowing down when they see a wreck ahead – even if it’s the last lap. This is another area where NASCAR changed its rules a few years ago to promote safety, mandating that drivers can no longer race back to the line when the caution flag waves. Of course, when it’s the last lap, drivers still might not be prone to slow down fast enough.
“When we have these wrecks at the end of the race, how quickly does the caution come out and are we racing back the line?” Biffle said. “Mark Martin and Kevin Harvick raced all the way back [to the line at Daytona in 2007] when the third-and fourth-place cars wrecked. ...
“So that’s probably my biggest concern is safety – a guy getting hit two or three or four or five times. And, of course, staying out of the fence was the key this time.”
Mentioned Drivers: Greg Biffle
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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Comments
20 responses to "Daytona crash has Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle concerned about safety". Post a Comment.
Anonymous said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 2:35 PMTime for Biffle to retire... Maybe Jeremy would like to drive the #16 car ! * G *
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttampabbay99 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 2:56 PMGeez Greg. Maybe it is time to stop racing cars ya candyass.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdan1051 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:15 PMOutlaw "blocking" Dale E did..... if they tried to block him, he put them into the wall. THAT was REAL RACING!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportnascarnutsheeler said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:29 PMWhat bone headed comments.Ask any driver and they will all say that restrictor plate racing is dangerous. It is nuts to have loonies out there like Bush. Wait and see he will either kill himself or someone else. There is a difference between calculated moves and and absolute crazy abandonment.Thank god all fans aren't like1,2&3
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttampabbay99 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:44 PMReally? I bet it was fine when Dale Sr. did it though. It is only okay as long as your name is not Busch. Gimme a break. I am especially glad that vmost fans have more common sense and more mind depth than a shallow mud puddle like 4.
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttampabbay99 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:45 PM"There is a difference between calculated moves and and absolute crazy abandonment."
Report as AbuseBoth of which you haven't a clue about.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 4:15 PMwhen you see the checkered flag...anything goes...that's what,s been said many times before...
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbthompson133 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 4:50 PMof course they race to the line ,they don't want to get screwed like mark! nascar says when a wreck makes things dangerous they freeze the field so congrats mark on your 500 victory! biff was explaining why most didn't slow down. get real bashers. lol
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» Confirm Abuse Reportnascarnutsheeler said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 5:22 PM1,2&3 You had better re - read what Biff said and then think over what you have said You must be bush heads to talk like that. I am NOT a Jr. fan but I do respect him. I have been a Ford fan since the fifties so iv'e seen a few more races than you. Put that in your wacky tabackie pipe and smoke it There is only one driver I dislike and thats Kyle BUSH the BABY.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportvermontcritter-1 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 5:43 PMGo ahead and call Greg a candyass, wuss, puss, or whatever you want to call him, he still has more guts than you do when it comes to driving cars at high speed. I'd like to see anyone of you hop in the driver's seat and race at the speeds he's used to driving. I bet you would probably wad it up on the first lap. Let's face it, Daytona, Talladega, Alanta, Lowes, and several other tracks are not fit to race stock cars at the speeds they drive them, especially the so-called COT. Throw in a few Rookies, or a couple of crazy veterans and you get the recipe for a major disaster. I hate restrictor plate racing because it is the most boring type of racing that NASCAR offers. Running cars nose to tail at 190 MPH plus is not only stupid, but dangerous. They need to fill those places in and add some shorter tracks to the mix.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportwmvjr1960 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 6:56 PMThese comments make me embarrassed to be a nascar fan. Obviously they are all armchair racers, in their Lay-Z-boys. As someone who has hit the wall near head on at 90mph, it hurts, for a long time. To call somebody a wimp just shows your incredible ignorance. Kyle and his mirror driving is the problem. So STUFF HIM. Every week. Last week he cried he got "dumped". Why is everybody so tip-toey around this punk.... just SEND HIM....weekly. He will learn.....eventually. Maybe not.
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttampabbay99 said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:17 PMLol!! I am a devout Roush fan. I was being sarcastic. Armchair racer? that is too funny.
Report as AbuseGO ROUSH!! They have never won here so hopefully it will be their weekend!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportaustinh said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:39 PMGreg biffle makes great points and sooner or later someone will be seriousely injured or killed NASCAR just keep your head in the sand DAYTONA and TALLADEGA is just like having a bunch of meth heads driving around in the derby.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:52 PMI have to wonder what would have happened if Kyle hadn't spun himself out, but instead, had raced Tony to the line. Mark and Kevin. They got to race to the finish line. And when was NASCAR supposed to throw the caution? They were neck and neck. Throw the caution so Mark could win? They did the right thing by letting those two finish the race. But this finish shouldn't have happened with a giant crash. Blocking killed Sr. With all the safety features, the crash won't kill Kyle. But it would have been a better ending for those he took out along with himself. RACE the car, Kyle. Don't take everyone out. Mark and Kevin racing to the line was a much better ending. They RACED to the Finish line.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjbbigrod said:
Jul 11, 2009 at 1:37 AMGreg is very right, it is just a matter of time. No matter what kind of padding is in there it has GOT to hurt at those speeds. I too have hit the wall at about 90, gone of the end of the track into a pile of rocks at about a 100 and yes it hurts alot, even IF you walk away. - - - AND there are freak accidents, that sooner or later happen that WILL maim or kill someone. It is inevitable, just a matter of time.
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttampabbay99 said:
Jul 11, 2009 at 7:31 AMyeah so let's have NASCAR make a rule stating that drivers cannot fight for the lead. Lol!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportparadisflcanuck said:
Jul 11, 2009 at 12:54 PMBiffle needs to go away, he's a pansy . Stop blocking B___L C ___P. Thats what racing is all about. If you don't want blocking Biffle, go race go Carts.
Report as AbusePut a muzzle om KB while you are at it.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjbbigrod said:
Jul 11, 2009 at 5:48 PMBlocking is not racing at all. THAT is pansy driving. Mirrors were outlawed whereever I raced in my nine years of racing. THe track is ahead of you unless you are spinning, so look out the windshield and make your car go fast than the other guy, Simple.
Report as AbuseMaybe too simple for you?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jul 12, 2009 at 1:53 PMUnfortunately, there will be serious accidents and injuries in racing.. HOWEVER, if they aren't willing to take the risk, then take a hike. There are too many drivers just waiting for drivers like Biffle to leave.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportvermontcritter-1 said:
Jul 13, 2009 at 7:58 PMDaytona is death waiting to happen!!!! I've watched this sport since 1993 and have seen the reports of racers dying tragic deaths due to the excessive speeds produced by it's high banks. Clifford Allison and Neil Bonnet in 1994 and Dale Sr. in 2001. Geoff Bodine nearly died there in a truck. Between Daytona and Talladega there has been enough trashed cars to fill a big junkyard many times over. I'm sure that most drivers out there don't care to race there, but are much too proud to admit it because of the flack the would receive from fans and media alike. Like I said before, you may think that Biffle is a wimp for racing their, myself I have to admire him for taking his life in his own hands week in and week out. NASCAR, take Daytona and turn into into a bigger lake.
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