19 years old is too young for a man that is coming into the prime of his life, as well as his racing career, to die at! 4 generations of Petty's is amazing! But that 4th generation was cut way too short. It is a shame that a up and coming Nascar driver had to die so young. I might not have always rooted for Petty, but what his family has done for the sport is truly amazing. My sympathy goes out to the Petty family in this time of tragedy. And I pray that the memories of this young man will help the healing process. We will miss you Adam Petty!

 

I just couldn't find the words to express how I am feeling about this. had to pull over when i heard it on the radio this afternoon. My prayers and thoughts are with the Pettys at this time.

 

i cant believe it either! how can bodine survive the crash he went through fairly easily and petty die in a much less dramatic crash!?!?!?! ..i really liked that kid....

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Petty family.

 

I think Adam's death is very tragic. I cried my eyes out literally when I Greg Moore died in CART racing last fall, and my heart goes out now to the Petty family.

Unfortunately, I've got this reporter's instinct to ask questions.

(1) Why at New Hampshire, where the speeds are way slower than at some other tracks like Lowe's and Daytona?

(2) What went wrong in the car's structure that allowed Adam Petty's head injury? With Greg Moore, there was no mystery -- he could have been driving a Peterbilt and he would have died. And

(3) Why are the Winston and Busch cars' steering wheels just so darn close to the drivers' faces? - IF that was what hurt Adam and, I stress this, I don't know that it was, just that it was a "head trauma".

Anyway, I sent that third question in to the Inside Winston Cup program (before they changed its name to Inside NASCAR). I asked "Why, since these cars have power steering, are the cars built so that the steering wheel and column are right in the drivers' faces?" Sure would make me nervous! Just sitting behind the wheel in a Silverado makes me nervous for the same reason. Obviously, the program never used my question On Air and I never heard another thing.

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Black 2000 SC short-box XLT. 4.2V-6, 5-speed, 3.55 limited-slip. CD, remote entry, factory side steps, FORD box liner.

My third F-series: '73 F-100 Custom 240-cube 3-speed, '98 F-150 XL-SC 4.2 5-speed, and '00 F-150 XLT-SC 4.2 5-speed. GREAT trucks!

 

This is a complete tragedy. WAY too young to die. I was very excited to watch him through his career. Not much else I can say, words don't describe a tragedy like this.

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98' F-150, Off Road, Short Box, Blue, 4.6, K&N, Auto, Captain Chairs, Dual Exhaust
Alpine CD Player, (2) 10" Rockford Fosgate Subwoofers and a big ol' Arctic Cat
sticker on the rear sliding window!!!!! Soon to be chipped!!!

 

In a period of 5 weeks, Richard lost his dad and his grandson. Kyle lost his grandfather and his son. Jesus.....that's all I can say.

That family has given us all so much. I feel so helpless, unable to express what I feel to them. I'm sure they know that their many fans share their pain, though.

 

I was shocked when I heard about it yesterday 19 is way to young to die.

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2000 F150 XLT Reg. cab
4.6 Triton Engine
4x2 3.55 rear end gear
sliding rear window
automatic keyless entry
white styleside short box

 

It was a very sad day in NASCAR when young Adam lost his life on the start of his caree yet he knew the risks involved with the sport like all other drivers but you never think it will happen.

 

>>>>I agree with all it was a tragic loss. I'm sure Kyle and his family feel tremendous loss and pain. But the boy was following his dream like his father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

>>>>Roushfan, a crash like Bodines or the one the Richard Petty had back at Daytona in the eighties sometimes look worse than they are. Granted Bodines truck wreck looked horrible and it was. In a wreck where the vehicle tumbles or vaults over, the continued motion of the roll or tumble gradually absorbs the momentum and gforces on the driver. The human body can only handle around a forty mph sudden velocity change, meaning going from one velocity to another immediately. Any change of 40 mph or greater is almost always fatal, trauma to internal organs such as the heart and brain are fatal. When a vehicle vaults/rolls over or hits an object and doesn't stop but changes direction the sheetmetal crush and gradual deceleration gives the occupant a chance for survival. Remember Ernie Irvans crash at Michigan in the early ninties, his car stopped suddenly causing him terrible head injuries. The only thing I know about Adam Petty's accident is that apparently he hit the wall head on with a stuck accelerator as a possible culprit. A head on collision usually is the type of collission that can lead to a sudden change in velocity and could have been what caused his death.

>>>>Shifter, the speeds at New Hampshire would be more than enough to be fatal depending on the accidents conditions. If it were like I surmised above those speeds are more than sufficient. In reference to the steering wheel I saw a segment where Dale Jarrett addressed that. He stated that even with power steering that fatigue can set in on a driver in a 500 mile race. By positioning the driver closer to the steering wheel it gives the driver more control/leverage and reduces fatigue at the races end. I agree with you, even with the five point harness it appears that they sit dangerously close the the wheel.....later Patrick

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99 F150 XLT SC 4x4 4.6 liter Deep Wedgewood Blue

Westin Nerf Bars , Lund Bug Deflector , Kenwood 10 disc CD changer, Extang Black Max soft bed cover, Bodyguard Bed Liner



[This message has been edited by JPF1715 (edited 05-15-2000).]