Calling Race Was Right Thing to Do

Fatalities resulting from motor racing accidents are always difficult to reconcile. There is no way to anticipate them, but more often than not, sanctioning bodies and track promoters try to hide the facts, apparently hoping that the less the public knows about it, the sooner thoughts of the incident will go away.

Perhaps it is a carry-over from the old vaudeville tradition that “The show must go on.” Whatever, the head-in-the-sand response is wrong.

Which is why officials of the newly named Lowe’s Motor Speedway, formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Indy Racing League should be commended for their response to the deaths of three spectators from flying debris during last Saturday night’s VisionAire 500.

As soon as track president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler and IRL executive director Leo Mehl ascertained the gravity of the situation--after both personally went into the stands where the accident occurred--they called the race.

When Wheeler emotionally explained the situation over the public-address system and said the race was over, the approximately 50,000 fans applauded, then quietly left the stands.

The accident happened when cars driven by Stan Wattles and John Paul Jr. crashed at about 215 mph as they went through the 24-degree banking on the fourth turn. A wheel and other debris flew over a 15-foot fence into the spectator area, killing three and injuring eight others, one 9-year-old girl critically.

Because the accident occurred on Lap 62 of a scheduled 208-lap race, it was declared a non-race, with no winner. Buddy Lazier was leading at the time, but when a yellow caution flag came out, he pitted and Greg Ray took over the lead. A few moments later, the race was called on Lap 79. To be official, a race must reach the halfway point.

This was in stark contrast to the way a similar three-fatality accident was handled nine months ago at Michigan International Speedway during the U.S. 500, a CART FedEx race. In an eerie coincidence, a wheel from Adrian Fernandez’s car flew into the stands when he hit the wall, also in the fourth turn.

No one--not drivers, crews, spectators, media or a TV audience--was informed of any problem until the race had been completed and Greg Moore was accepting congratulations in the winner’s circle, oblivious to the incident.

Although it did not involve spectators, a fatal accident at Irwindale Speedway on opening night was handled similarly. A sprint car driver lost his life in an accident during practice, but nothing was said of it during the program. The 6,500 spectators learned about it in the next day’s newspapers.

“We learn from other people’s experiences,” said Mai Lindstrom, IRL director of public relations. Hopefully, in future instances, those in authority will follow the direction of Lowe’s and the IRL.

GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS

Which would you rather be, a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond?

Buddy Antunez, a talented motorcycle rider from Temecula, has chosen the big fish syndrome. Most of his old pals are racing motocross and Supercross, vainly trying to beat Jeremy McGrath, but Antunez went into Arenacross.

Arenacross is a pocket-sized version of Supercross, run mostly in hockey arenas, rather than football or baseball stadiums.

Antunez has dominated Arenacross the same way McGrath has in Supercross, having won three consecutive championships. McGrath recently clinched his sixth Supercross title.

Both will be at Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino on Sunday, riding in the first round of the AMA Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals, but they won’t be in the same race. McGrath will ride in the 250cc class on his Team Chaparral Yamaha, and Antunez will ride his factory Suzuki in the 125cc race.

“One difference between Arenacross and Supercross is that we ride two features a night, one on 125s and one on 250s, and we race two nights in a row at each site,” said Antunez, who turned 26 last month. “In Supercross, you only ride one class. It’s hard on your body the first year, but you get used to it. And it makes it easier when you come to the outdoor season and have to ride longer motos. The tracks are similar, except that because our arenas are smaller, there are less jumps and shorter straightaways, but we have whoop-de-doos and tight turns, just like in the stadiums.”

Antunez, who has been riding cycles since he was a toddler, became interested in racing when he was a neighbor of Eddie Lawson, a former world road-racing champion, as a teenager in Ontario. “I rode Supercross when I first turned pro 10 years ago and won three 125 races [at the Rose Bowl, Coliseum and San Jose] when I was 17,” he said. “I switched to Arenacross a few years ago and I’ll probably stick with it. It’s been good to me, and I’d like to win a fourth championship.”

Antunez comes to Glen Helen with a lot of momentum. He won all four main events in the PJ1 National Arenacross series finale at San Jose and won 15 of the last 16 finals, finishing with a single-season record 25 wins.

“I can’t wait to get back to Glen Helen,” he said. “I grew up riding that track. It’s close racing and it’ll be good to get back racing outdoors.”

Antunez finished 10th last year on a 125 and sixth in 1997 on a 250. He’s riding a 125 this year because “that’s what the Suzuki factory wants.”

Sunday, he will be facing two-time winner Ricky Carmichael and regional Supercross champions Nathan Ramsey of Corona and Costa Rican rookie Ernesto Fonseca, the East Coast winner. Ramsey, like Carmichael, on a Kawasaki, won five of eight rounds in the West.

McGrath, 27, is also heading for Glen Helen with a lot of momentum. He won eight of 16 races in the Supercross series, among them last week’s final one in Las Vegas.

McGrath won the Glen Helen national on a Honda in 1996 and finished second to Mickael Pichon of France last year.

IT’S A FIRST

Randi Pankratz, the first woman to lead a U.S. Auto Club racing series, will try to stay atop the three-quarter midget standings in Saturday night’s 20-lap main event at Irwindale Speedway. In the season’s first three races, Pankratz, 28, finished third at Bakersfield, second at Ventura and fifth at Irwindale. She became the fifth woman to win a USAC main event last year at Bakersfield.

Her father, Wally Pankratz, will drive in the USAC sprint car race the same night in one of Ed Ulyate’s entries. Bud Kaeding, who won the first Irwindale race and is the series points leader, is also entered.

The TQs will race on the third-mile track, and the sprinters will go 30 laps on the half-mile oval.

LAST LAPS

World champion Matt Alcone of Laguna Beach had a four-mile lead in the Ocean Spray Grand Prix offshore boat race last Sunday off Dana Point when the engine blew in his Team Fountain open class boat. Rick Bowling of Alamo, Calif., driving Jelly Belly Gone Again, was the winner of the 100-mile race in a modified boat. Bryan Darling of Aliso Viejo suffered severe head injuries when his boat, Explosive, did a barrel roll near the end of the race. He was taken to Mission Regional Hospital in Mission Viejo, where his condition remained critical on Thursday.

For one race at least, Roger Penske is returning to a two-car team in the CART FedEx series. Al Unser Jr. will be joined by Brazilian rookie Tarso Marquez for the race in Rio de Janeiro on May 15. Marquez filled in for Unser for two races when the former Indy 500 champion was injured.

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This Week’s Races

BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL, Grand National 200

* When: Today, qualifying, 11 a.m.; Saturday, race (TNN, 9:30 a.m.)

* Where: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns), London, N.H.

* Defending champion: Buckshot Jones.

* Next race: Hardee’s 250, May 14, Richmond, Va.

****

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS, Memphis 200

* When: Today, qualifying, 11:30 a.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, noon).

* Where: Memphis Motorsports Park (tri-oval, 0.75 miles, 11-degrees banking in turns), Memphis, Tenn.

* Defending champion: Ron Hornaday.

* Next race: Pikes Peak 175, May 16, Fountain, Colo.