Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Now We Know Why There’s No Geezer Tour
Don't bet on another charity race featuring old NASCAR drivers being held at Bristol any time soon...
Larry Woody  | http://www.RacinToday.com  |  Posted March 23, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Charlie Glotzbach scored four NASCAR Cup series wins from 1960 to 1992. Glotzbach was one of two drivers injured in a charity exhibition race Saturday at Bristol. (Photo: NASCAR Media)
A Seniors Tour is fine in golf. But not in racing.

In golf when an old dude hits one out of bounds he simply mutters, drops another ball and keeps playing.

In racing when they hit one out of bounds they go to the hospital.

That’s what happened last Saturday at Bristol when Larry Pearson and Charlie Glotzbach crashed during a Legends race for retired drivers. Both were reportedly knocked unconscious and transported to the hospital. Pearson was treated for a compound fracture of a broken ankle, fractured pelvis and broken hand.

At last report Pearson remained in fair condition. Glotzbach’s injuries were less serious.

The crash was a stark reminder of why a “Legends Serious” proposed a couple of years ago never got off the ground.

It’s too dangerous.

Racing – even on a small track at relatively slow speeds – is never entirely safe. There’s always an element of risk involved. At any moment, on any lap, disaster can strike.

To think that such legendary racers as Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and others of their era would participate in such competition is absurd. They’re too smart to even consider it.

Racing is dangerous. It always has been and always will be.

NASCAR has done a great job of making its Sprint Cup cars as safe as possible – witness such recent tumbles as Brad Keselowski’s upside-down flight at Atlanta – allowing drivers to walk away without a scratch.

But anybody who thinks it’s safe to speed around concrete walks in any type of race car is kidding themselves.

A few years ago a “Celebrity Race” was held at Nashville Speedway. Several country music stars competed, along with members of the media and a couple of area football coaches. They drove deceptively-toy-like Legends cars.

A few laps into the race a TV sports director crashed into the wall. He suffered a severe head wound and almost bled to death en route to the hospital. He spent weeks recovering from the near-fatal crash. That was Nashville’s final Celebrity Race.

There will never be a Geezer’s Tour in racing for the same reason why there’ll never be a Senior League in pro football: Too much hard contact for brittle old bones.

I think it’s a great idea to pay homage to retired drivers by keeping them in the spotlight. Bring them to the track and let them sign autographs. Let them meet the fans. Let them tell stories and ride around the track and wave. Let them do anything but race.

I think we’ve seen our last Old-Timers race. What happened at Bristol could happen anywhere and any time a retired racer climbs into a car. Pearson’s close call should scare some sense into them.

Drivers didn’t become old-timers by pushing their luck.

Larry Woody is a veteran, award-winning sports journalist. Woody began working at the Nashville Tennessean in the 1960s and took over the auto racing beat full time in the early 1970s. Larry can be reached at lwoody@racintoday.com

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing Cup Edition - Spring Series
larry_woody's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Woody

RacinToday.com

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.