"There are only three sports, motor racing, bullfighting and mountaineering... all the rest are games"

I am ambivalent about this issue.

I appreciate the incredible athleticism of boxing, but find the thought of pummeling another person in the head until they pass out from brain trauma to be disgusting.

I respect the deep tradition of bullfighting, but hate the gratuitous murder of animals.

I love the magnificence of racing horses, but despair at the abuse so many of these horses are forced to endure.

Does this make me a Wimp, or a Sensitive New Age Guy? Or both?

As a driver, maintaining your calm in the face of such horrible consequences is what makes racing so compelling, but we all know how bad we feel when somebody wrecks their car... especially if it is us!

But we all go over to inspect the damage... its almost like ****... its hard to argue that it is a good thing, but its hard not to look...

I think the line is personal injury... as long as the driver is not hurt, they knew the risks, took the chance, and paid the price... its just metal and money... part of the deal.

But I think the corollary is heightened focus on safety... both in-car, and in track design and operating procedures... it is simply unacceptable to cut corners here.

Kyle Busch's crash at Daytona is a case in point... for all the money the France family makes, they cut corners, and once KB was hurt, they put safer-barriers in overnight.... my hypocrisy meter was pegged on that one!

To me the common ground is relentless pursuit of safety, and not letting Sanctioning bodies or track operators off the hook.