Don't Bring Kids To Race ~ per ~ Rusty Wallace

Today, before the race, they were showing some of the drivers with their children in the infield by their cars. Rusty Wallace commented that this was one track that he didn't feel drivers should bring their children, due to the fact that the track is so dangerous. He said it would be embedded in the child's mind should they see something happen to their Daddy. If I am not mistaken, Terry Bradshaw had his child at Daytona for his first race the day that Dale died.(please correct me if wrong) Just something to think about and wondering what everyone else thinks.

updated by @patsy-thompkins-keisler: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

Let me add...I see things differently now that I am a Granny.....LOL

I cant remember who the driver was but I heard one discuss this a few years ago. He said they realize their sport is dangerous and they accept that. they wanted their family there in case something happened so they would know they got to tell them they loved them and to say good bye. Morbid, but in a way I understand it.....

PKL, Yes it is really sad. I have been on the track when a serious injury occurred and once when a fatality occurred and it never dawned on me that there but for the grace of God go I.

The most dangerous crash I have seen in many years was when Mark Martin slid sideways into the end of that wall in the infield. If that had been just 12-18 inches to the left who knows what would have happened. Thank goodness for safer barriers and Hahn's devices..

Not trying to start a revolution, But as of this moment I'm joining you in never watching a race at "dega"......

I tell you what I really have a problem with.... all these drivers and wives bringing tiny, newborn infants around the race cars.

Not too long after Darrell and Stevie Waltrip's first daughter, Jessica was born in 1987, my wife and I watched in horror as Stevie toted her around the pits and garage around the fired up race cars.

Studies or no studies, common sense tells me that these tiny, little infants have absolutely no business whatsoever being exposed to the noise and vibrations of those cars. Who knows what sort of damage might result to their little nervous systems or other physiological systems.

Of all the people at the time around Winston Cup racing, I would have never figured DW and Stevie to do that.

Now it is commonplace.l

I think anyone is an idiot to take an infant around fired up race cars.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Dan Wheldon's two year old son was at Las Vegas. My guess is that he was too young to absorb the full trauma of what he witnessed. I think that there's a higher probability that any given child is exposed to carnage on the highway than on the racetrack. If the child is left at home, would it be more likely to be watching the race than playing in the infield dirt? At home, they'd see the wreck replayed multiple times in slow motion. At the track, things would flash by more quickly.I don't have kids, I can't say what the "correct" answer is. But I feel that kids are overprotected today and I'm reluctant to endorse an off-the-cuff remark.I'm satisfied with the safety systems on the cars now, for the speeds that they are running. Easy for me to say, since I'm not driving one. But I've driven many races with far less to protect me (up through my 40s, so old enough to know better).But I am worried about spectators. That's where the sanctioning bodies will be caught by surprise next. It's been a while since we've had a serious fan injury caused by flying debris. Parts can go pretty far, but I think it's time to take out the first ten rows at any track over a mile. Races aren't selling out any more and track owners can distract the media from constantly mentioning it by taking out some seats and bunching folks closer together.From my perspective at Martinsville, the fence distorts and blocks a lot of the view for those sitting close to it. I see that tickets for seats down low sell for less, so I'm assuming my experience matches others. People are more or less sheltered from the most gruesome views when a driver is hurt. Sheetmetal and roll cages block a lot of the view. But a tire in the crowd could be easily viewed by anyone.

During some of the carnage at Talladega, I thought how thankful I was for the addition of the tethers that to a great degree have kept some of parts and pieces from winding up in the grandstand.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"