NASCAR fans are a loyal bunch who thrive as much on the adrenaline of a fast paced, leader-changing race as much as the drivers of these near-million dollar cars are.  It’s the most recent near-tragedy that’s brought a controversy back into the spotlight and has the drivers, fans and NASCAR executives debating once again.  Restrictor plates, which basically ensure each driver isn’t driving too fast, has long since been a thorn in the collective side of NASCAR drivers.  They insist, and many agree, that it forces them to drive too close

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together since no one can get an upper edge in terms of speed.  Very few drivers believe it serves any purpose other than to provide too much danger due to the increased risk of crashes.  This is exactly what happened in Talladega, AL yesterday.

The world famous track has long since been at least partially blamed for the mandatory restrictor plates, especially after a particularly spectacular crash in the late eighties involving Bobby Allison.  He was running at 200+ mph, his crash sent him airborne and nearly resulted in his death.  He crashed into the fence and sent pieces of his car into the crowd.  NASCAR’s response was the development of the restrictor plates.  They insisted the insanely fast speeds had a lot to do with both Allison’s injuries as well as the spectators who were injured.

Yesterday’s crash that sent Carl Edwards airborne also sent debris flying into the spectator area, just as it did with Allison over twenty years ago.  This, of course, has many opponents arguing that the restrictor plates aren’t doing everything they’re designed for after all.  Yesterday’s fright only seems to back up these arguments.   Amazingly, Edwards walked away from the crash and actually crossed the finish line (the crash happened in the last lap) on foot.  He was battling for first place with Brad Keselowski, who ended up winning the race.  Although Edwards was uninjured, several fans weren’t so lucky.  Flying debris isn’t uncommon at these races and die-hard fans know it’s a risk they take.  Rarely are there lawsuits that result.  This time, there’s one fan who’s still in the hospital with a broken jaw.

Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr., whose father was killed in 2001, says the restrictor plates are celebrated, both by the media and networks, because it increases the chances of “the big one”, referring to a major crash that would most likely end the career of a beloved driver.  It’s not unheard of; some of the best have lost their lives on the tracks and every famous NASCAR family, including the Allison family, the Earnhardt family and the Petty family, just to name a few, has its own heartbreak over losing a family member.

Perhaps it was best said by Edwards himself after the race, “I don’t know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands.  We’ll race like this until we kill somebody, then NASCAR will change it.”

Links to Lawyers & Personal Injury Lawyers

Alabama is having a PR nightmare, and in at least one of its cities, they’re unfolding simultaneously.  Last week, the leader of Decatur’s organized crime unit disappeared.  What appeared to be a struggle and with his family’s fears of a kidnapping, police scrambled in their attempts to find him and feared the worse along with his family.  It didn’t take long, however, before his problems surfaced that included marital difficulties, gambling debts and the pressures of a high-stress job.  This week, police found him in Las Vegas with stolen money recovered in several drug busts.  If that wasn’t bad enough, a volunteer with the police department found herself in the middle of it too.  She helped him stage the scene by scattering papers in his office and turning over furniture.  Police suspect the two are having an affair and she was preparing herself to meet him in Vegas.  The FBI is still trying to determine how much he stole before getting arrested this week.  His gambling debts are due to his travel across the Mississippi/Alabama state line and into the riverboat gambling city of Tunica. The twenty year police veteran now faces major jail time and is being held by U.S. Marshalls in Las Vegas with no bond. 

It gets worse with another police scandal, this time it involves a county official.  The sheriff of the county, Greg Bartlett, was arrested Wednesday for providing inadequate food for prisoners while pocketing the money he saved by providing substandard food.  The money involved?  Over $200,000 over the past three years.  Here’s the kicker: pocketing the surplus money not spent on inmate food isn’t illegal. There’s actually a law that allows sheriff’s to pocket leftover funds.  He was arrested for being in contempt of court for refusing to provide adequate meals, not for keeping the money.  According to the Associated Press, 55 counties in Alabama (there are a total of 67) provide $1.75 per meal, per prisoner a day.  Any monies left over, more specifically, more taxpayer monies, are fair game for these sheriffs.  Ten prisoners testified to the conditions and meals that included half an egg, a teaspoon of oatmeal and one piece of toast for breakfast.  One inmate said he’s lost thirty five pounds over the past few months. 

Sheriff Bartlett admitted to a $95,000 surplus last year, $62,000 in 2007 and $55,000 in 2006.  The federal judge has ordered him to remain in jail until he agrees to and submits improved menus.  Three nutritionists testified on behalf of the county and said the prisoners weren’t malnourished and that these complaints were common in jails across the country.  Still, there had to have been some evidence that convinced the judge to order the sheriff to jail. 

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the citizens in Decatur to maintain their faith in law and order.  With the two top law enforcement agents in hot water, one who is an inmate himself and another who’s looking at major jail time, it’s going to be hard to differentiate between the law breakers and the law enforcers.