It’s incredible that
no one was seriously injured when Doug Herbert’s engine
let go in spectacular fashion a few years back during Top
Fuel qualifying at Pomona, where a sizable crowd had gathered
near the starting line. (Jeff Burk photo)
By their nature, some events require several
crew members and officials on the “hot” side
of the guardwall. NHRA and IHRA national events come to
mind and although both organizations do a reasonable job
of limiting access to those credentialed to be there, it
still can get pretty crowded as everyone wants to “be
part of the scene.” From that level, it quickly goes
downhill at most tracks as far as crowd control goes.
As raceday wears on, it’s not at all
unusual to see crew members from eliminated teams crowding
the starting line to see how their buddies make out. What’s
more, fans with absolutely no race team or track affiliation
are often permitted to filter in immediately behind or beside
the cars. Usually this happens as the evening wears on,
I suspect as wrist bands or event passes get harder to see
and security and track officials tire of constantly policing
who does and doesn’t belong. But it’s an important
insurance point for track operators, since inevitably many
of those in the hot zone have not signed any sort of waiver
in the event of accidental injury or death.
Scenes like this certainly
add to the excitement and drama of a drag race, but allowing
a sizable crowd to congregate so closely to a potentially
dangerous event invites unnecessary risk. (Ian Tocher photo)
Now, I’m absolutely not advocating limiting
the access of people who need to be on the line when the
cars are running. I just think an accident like Howard’s
should emphasize to track operators and security people
that there are good, solid safety reasons for strictly controlling
access to a potentially dangerous area. The two big sanctioning
bodies realize this. For instance, NHRA restricts photographers
from taking pictures on the active side of the guardwall
and IHRA recently instituted stricter control over starting-line
passes.
For those who do have legitimate business
in the hot zone—racers, team members, sanctioning
body and track officials, photographers—this latest
tragedy also should serve as a reminder to remain alert,
aware, and respectful of the dangerous nature of the sport
we all love. That would serve Shelly and Brian Howard’s
memory well. 
