Bristol's Charity Race Gone Bad

March 23rd, 2010 |

Author: Bob

I don’t think your going to see another charity race featuring old NASCAR drivers being held at Bristol any time soon.

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.

Pearson, a two-time Nationwide Series champion, is 56 years old. Glotzbach, who won 12 Sprint Cup races and raced at the front so often in the 1960s and 1970s he picked up the nickname “Chargin’ Charlie,” is 71.

Pearson slid across the track in the second turn near the end of the 35 lap exhibition race. Pearson’s car appeared to have a rear tire problem, causing it to slide up the track, hit the outside wall and drop down off the banking.

Several seconds passed before Glotzbach drove into the area and hit Pearson at near full-force.

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.

The drivers raced in Late Model cars from the United Speed Alliance Racing tour.

Larry Woody from RacinToday.com contributed to this report