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Sadness -vs- jubilation


Rule changes, mid-season rookie roundup, and the Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Raceway.





Helton Announces Changes ............

For the first time in its history, NASCAR has mandated a specific window size. The sanctioning body has instituted a window height requirement of 17 inches. This move is in conjunction with drivers wearing head and neck safety devices. The higher window opening will allow the driver to exit the racecar more quickly while wearing the different types of safety devices that are on the market. At this time, most of the drivers in NASCAR are wearing some type of device.

NASCAR has not made the wearing of these head and neck safety devices mandatory, as other racing organizations already have. The move mandating window height requirements may be leading up to it. Helton also revealed that they are investigating all of the drivers deaths since May 2000 because of their similarities. The investigation into the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Tony Roper, will be incorporated in with the Earnhardt investigation.

The results of the investigation are still due to be released some time in August. Helton reported that 54 people have been involved in the investigation up to this point. It stands to reason that NASCAR may mandate the wearing of head and neck devices as a result of their findings. The sanctioning body did not specify any particular series that the window height mandate covered. This leads me to believe that it will cover all of the different series of racing that is sanctioned by NASCAR.





Rookie Roundup.......... Mid-Season

Two rookie cup drivers were slated for double duty this weekend at Daytona and Watkins Glen. Kevin Harvick, who is a Busch Series regular in the No. 2 Goodwrench Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, and Ron Hornaday, who is slated to drive the No. 11 Channellock Chevrolet. Hornaday failed to qualify for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, so his only duty will be at the Watkins Glen road course where he qualified to start in the 14th position in Sunday's GNC Live Well 200.

The Winston Cup rookie of the Year points battle is still pretty close. At the seasons halfway point there is no runaway leader. Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing's Goodwrench Chevrolet, is the points leader with only 15 races under his belt. This number is opposed to the 16 races some of his competitors have run in the season's first half. Harvick leads second place rookie contender Kurt Busch by 25 points. Busch is the driver of the No. 97 Roush Racing's Rubbermaid/Sharpie Ford, and leads third place contender Ron Hornaday by a mere 6 points. Hornaday drives the No. 14 A. J. Foyt Racing's Conceco Pontiac and leads fourth place Casey Atwood by 15 points. Atwood drives the No. 19 Ray Evernham Motorsport's Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge and leads fifth place contender Jason Leffler by 27 points. Leffler drives the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing's Cingular Wireless Dodge.
The copyright of the article Sadness -vs- jubilation in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish Sadness -vs- jubilation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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