Well, no sooner than we all are beginning to let Adam Petty's death heal in our minds, tragedy rears it's ugly head again in NASCAR. This time in the Winston Cup ranks. The date July 7th will go down in history as the day we lost another shining star in our sport. Kenny Irwin, just a few short feet from where Adam Petty lost his life, hit the wall and flipped his Bell South Mobility Chevy. He was pronounced dead about an hour later due to "multiple injuries." To be completely honest with you, the racing fans, you could probably go back and see my opinions on Kenny Irwin's driving style. Regardless of that, I respect him in the fact that he had the balls to go out and do what he loved. He was a champion in every right. From USAC midget cars, to trucks, to even breaking into Winston Cup, he was one hell of a competitor. He never really showed his full potential in Winston Cup. He was given a bumb deal with Robert Yates racing. My opinion only, he was a rookie, given the most coveted ride in NASCAR the year after Yates decided to push Dale Jarrett in the 88 instead. He was better off with SABCO where he resided this season, where he could establish his own style and reputation. He was doing pretty good with his new team overall when tragedy struck. I hate to use someone's death as a battle cry, but I have to now. Something needs to change, and I mean now. That is two future superstars taken from us too soon in almost the exact same spot. The Speedway in Loudon needs to take a good hard look at their track, determine what the problem is and fix it. I'm no engineer, so I'm not sure what they could possibly do to the cars, nor the wall to make sure this doesn't happen again. I could sit here all day and make suggestions, but I don't know if they are reasonable or not. NASCAR either needs to get the cars and figure out how to cut the ignition when the throttle sticks or make it so the walls absorb more of the impact of the wreck. Or maybe the solution is to move the dates from Loudon until they find out what the problem is. One way or the other, this CAN NOT keep happening. The blood of these driver's are on the hands of Loudon New Hampshire. NASCAR has to step in now, one death can be passed off as a freak accident, but lightening typically doesn't strike twice in the same place. It has now and you have to stop this before we lose another driver. I hate to vent like this but I'm simply saying what the media is afraid to say. I know the show must go on, but for crying out loud, at what cost? Is it worth a life of a 19 year old, and now a 30 year old? It is not. I don't want these two to die in vain, and it seems they will unless NASCAR and Loudon get their acts together and fix this problem. Thank you for listening.
