The 2021 Running NASCAR/IMSA/other racing things thread

In 2000, the year before Earnhardt's death, I was interviewing Richard Petty at Loudoun about his grandson's death on that track earlier in the year when the track suddenly took on the silence that lets you know something very bad has happened. It was the crash that killed Kenny Irwin. Real unpleasant experience.

 

Yeah, four in the span of 13 months, culminating in Earnhardt at the 500. There aren't many other sports (bullfighting?) where your contingency plan includes what to do if one of the drivers doesn't survive the race. Sort of like Rollerball.

I was very lucky to have made 12 years without one. IndyCar wasn't so lucky.

 

The other thing I remember is that on race day (Irwin died on Friday), the Globe sent like seven people. Speaking for the Herald, I asked racing beat guy Mike Vega if his editor knew the odds against another fatality that day. Mike just shrugged. It did lead to one of my favorite moments however, when in the press box Bob Ryan, not there by choice I'm guessing, watched the first lap go by without incident and then asked at the usual Ryan volume of a Jimmy Page solo, "so do they do any different in the next 299 laps?"

 

Times have changed. I think the Globe might’ve used AP for the last Loudon race.

 

Yeah, you can tell by his reaction when he went to the car, and he has alluded to what he saw.

 

I was actually sitting in the lounge of John Force's hauler when Irwin was killed. We learned about it. It didn't really change the interview, but when we were done, we sat chatting for a bit talking about the dangers of racing.

 

In my experiences with John, all you had to do is turn the tape recorder on and get out of the way. He's the Energizer Bunny of interviews. I don't think I ever got to ask a second question, and yet had more quotes than I could use in a year.

 

Luke Combs playing the pre race and rocking an Earnhardt jacket. I'm down with that.

 

There’s your first big one.

 

If they get this thing in before the rain hits, it will be a miracle.

 

Weather update: