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

Recently, in another post, I wondered what the fascination was, or rather, why it was a fascination at all, with 911 calls that revealed the most rawest of human emotions.  With recent news over the past several days, I’m now wondering why we’ve become such a morbid society as to want to see photographs of a child’s skeletal remains and why so many are demanding to know the most private and devastating details of Jett Travolta’s death. 

The child’s skeletal remains I’m referring to, of course, are those of Caylee Anthony, who was found just days before Christmas.  Honestly, it’s become so convoluted and if you’re not following every second of this fast moving drama, you lose your place as to who’s who.  The prosecution team in this case was in court today, along with Casey Anthony and her defense attorney, Jose Baez, and expressed concerns over the “accidental” leak of the more than 800 pictures of this child’s bones.  The defense wanted unlimited access so that these remains and the still images could travel the country to many experts for their opinions.  The judge allowed the defense team only limited access.  The argument could be made that this limited access would make for a limited defense of Mr. Baez’s client.  Realistically, the damage was done long before he came into the picture.  Legally, it’s a viable argument.  But as I typically do, I tend to look at it from a maternal standpoint.  I would fight to my death to ensure my child’s privacy and dignity was respected every minute for the rest of my life.  The last thing I would allow would be an argument, in a courtroom, over the release of photographs or the remains themselves.  And I believe every mother would feel the same way.  With that in mind, we have to remember that Cindy Anthony is a mother too.  She’s clearly attempting to move heaven and earth to protect her own child and my guess is she will most likely do whatever she must to avoid having to testify in a trial that could potentially mean the death of her own daughter.  Still, there are remains that must be put to rest and that process shouldn’t come only after a tour across America.  It’s safe to say that the more who have access, the greater the odds of photos being sold to the highest bidder.  I just can’t understand why so many are clamoring for this and even worse, why there are those who feel as though they have some right to see these remains.

Last week, John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s oldest child, Jett, passed away.  The fact that the most intimate conversations to this child on their way to the hospital have been retold verbatim is one of the most unbelievable betrayals I can think of.  Now there are those who have the audacity to demand to see the autopsy.  Some argue celebrities, when they chose to pursue a career that puts them in the public eye, gave up the right to privacy.  I disagree with that theory simply because of this obsession with tragedy our society has whether they’re celebrities or not.  Just as I said in the previous post, no one wants their most vulnerable moments heard or seen by a planet of strangers.  There’s an old saying, “You can’t build your happiness on someone else’s misery”.  I don’t know that anyone is finding happiness in these tragedies, but there’s certainly entirely too much emphasis on the wrong aspects that cause lost perspective.

There might be a law, at least in Florida, that will protect Caylee Anthony’s remains.   The Earnhardt Family Protection Act, passed after legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt was killed, makes

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autopsy photos as well as all video and audio data confidential.  It’s a third degree felony with a hefty five thousand dollar fine and the potential for jail time.  This could benefit the prosecution’s argument in the Anthony case, but their concerns are due to the possibility of the photos being released in another state if they’re allowed to leave Florida for examination by experts hired by Casey Anthony’s lawyers.

It’s important to understand this goes so much further than the right of a free press.  For many, it’s a matter of honoring an individual’s privacy - whether it’s a celebrity or the average Joe Citizen.  So where does it stop?  It won’t until our society realizes how distasteful it is to demand such intimate information.  It’s all about perspective, and unfortunately, perspective often arrives hand in hand with hindsight.