Speeds and Safety Increase at Indianapolis

Colton Herta’s crash during “Carb Day” reminds us how quickly things can go wrong at the Brickyard. Thankfully, Herta escaped injury. [Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway]

by Steve Zautke

Growing up in a family involved in auto racing, my memories of races run deep. My first recollections of Indianapolis are bits and pieces, the beautiful Johnny Lightning Special, Gary Bettenhausen and Mark Donohue’s beautiful Penske deep blue McLarens and of course Bobby Unser’s refrigerator white Olsonsite Eagle with those huge wings. It was May of 1973 that still remains vivid. I remember coming home, my mom in tears, telling me that Art Pollard had just been killed. My parents knew Art socially through mutual friends at the Milwaukee Mile. Who can forget the rain delays and of course the Swede Savage crash which remains etched in my mind.

Getting more and more involved in auto racing and meeting more people I noticed an unusual amount of people who mention either the tragic 1964 or 1973 “500” race as either their first race in attendance or the one they first remember on television.

Although we are thankful that motorsports is so much safer, we can become quite immune to the dangers, especially to those new in the sport, so when it happens, it’s incredibly devastating.

As the speeds increase at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we marvel at the pace, the look of the cars at the edge, drivers pushing the envelope and dicing with their wheels inches from each other. The wild accidents over the last several years such as Scott Dixon in 2017, or Colton Herta this week remind us of how fast it can go bad, thankfully with the drivers walking away, But, also reminding us of the cost, such as Sebastien Bourdais’ banzai qualifying lap a few years ago in which he had injuries that kept him out of a race for a bit, or Robert Wickens vicious crash at Pocono.

A tip of the hat to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the development of the SAFER Barrier which along with the HANS device which are the two biggest jumps in safety since the arrival of the modern safety drivers helmet in the 1960’s. As a traditionalist, I was initially weary of the aeroscreen when it was first announced at IMS a few years ago, However, it has certainly changed my mind and shown its value over the last year and a half.

The HANS device which in hindsight seems so simple now had some initial pushback. However with development and refinement, it became available to work in the tight confines of an open wheel car. “We are grateful to Jim Downing and Jonathan Ingram, author of the book Crash! How the HANS Helped Save Auto Racing (2019) “Few devices in the history of the sport have contributed as much to saving lives.”

One of the most vivid examples occured in 2015, when James Hinchcliffe slammed into a wall at more than 220 mph, he hit an energy-absorbing barrier that likely saved his life. One of auto racing’s most important safety developments, its origins began at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with then President Tony George.

George watched replays of Hinchcliffe’s accident and came to only one conclusion. Explaining to FOX News, “That would have been just like Gordon Smiley if he had not hit a SAFER barrier,” said George, referring to the fatal 1982 crash during Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Smiley was killed instantly when his car hit the Turn 3 wall and his body tumbled hundreds of feet across the track.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR have been leaders in safety, dating back to the creation of the traveling safety team in CART in the early 1980’s. With pioneering doctors such as Dr. Steven Olvey and Dr. Terry Trammel, they had pushed safety to the forefront and continues with their surrogates to this day.

On the eve of the 2022 Indianapolis 500, we had the fastest recorded Pole winning speed and the fastest front row in Indy 500 history. Let’s hope for a safe race, but know that the drivers behind the wheel understand they are provided with a safe car, backed up with the best safety team in motorsports at a legendary speedway that has been making safety improvements over the last 70-plus years.

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