Bill Elliot on NASCAR safety

I read an interesting story in the QC Times sports section today and couldn't find it on line to link to so I thought I would add it to this post. For the record, I think Bill Elliot is right. Here is the story as written-

Elliot blast NASCAR's safety rules in book

Charlotte, N.C.- Former NASCAR champion Bill Elliot has some tough words for the racing series on safety and its response to the 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt.

In a new memoir, "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville: My Life in NASCAR," Elliot accuses NASCAR of not getting serious about long-standing safety concerns until after Earnhardt's fatal crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He said that is disrespectful to the memory of drivers such as Adam Petty, Tony Roper and Kenny Irwin, who died in on-track accidents in the months befor Earnhardt.

"No one called for investigations or softer walls, or HANS devices when these drivers died. But when Dale Earnhardt died, NASCAR went full bore, head over heels on safety," Elliot writes. "We ought not only address incidents that kill stars. Shame on NASCAR for letting a handful of good men die before finally addressing the problem after Dale died."

He also used his book to criticize NASCAR for its continued reliance on local medical teams to provide emergency car at tracks. Other racing series, including Champ Car and IRL, have mobile trauma units and teams of doctors that travel to all races.