Each week, TicketForce brings you an update on an important topic in one of four industries: racing, sports, music and theatre. This week’s #racingwrap features concerns over racing safety after the tragic death of Jason Leffler.
Leffler had an impressive career under his belt at only 37 and was also the father to a five-year-old boy. He had completed 294 Nationwide Series races and finished seventeenth in the Indianapolis 500 in 2000. He had attempted at least one full season in each of NASCAR’s three national series.
During Wednesday night’s 410 sprint car race at Bridgesport Speedway, Leffler struck a wall and was transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
“NASCAR extends its thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to the family of Jason Leffler who passed away earlier this evening,” NASCAR said in a statement. “For more than a decade, Jason was a fierce competitor in our sport and he will be missed.”
Sprint car races are known for being more dangerous for drivers and spectators alike. This is due to the fact that many sprint car tracks do not meet the safety standards that NASCAR and IndyCar abide by.
Sadly, Leffler’s death is not the first of its kind – there have been several other deaths that have occurred after crashes just this year. In late May, two drivers were killed in a race that took place in Nevada. Just two weeks ago, 22-year-old Josh Burton died after sustaining injuries from a crash at Bloomington Speedway in Indiana.
Many racers have commented that tracks simply aren’t designed to accommodate more than one race type. Jimme Johnson agreed with this comment when he said, “It doesn’t matter the kind of racecar. If it’s off the ground, you cannot control it in an accident. Those cars (IndyCars) are running so fast, and they get airborne so often on ovals that I wouldn’t run them on ovals.”
What do you think could be done to keep racers safer on the track? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet.
