Entertaining Finish at Watkins

It was a sad time for NASCAR. Three of NASCAR's young drivers were killed in accidents. Tony Roper, 4th generation driver, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin, Jr. all perished in the year 2000.Irwin and Petty's accidents were cause by their throttles getting stuck and slamming into the outside wall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Both died of head trauma. A device that was designed in the 1980's known as the HANS—Head And Neck Support—device would have benefited their chances of survival greatly.In fact, J.D. McDuffie (1991), Grant Adcox (1989), Terry Schoonover (1984), Neil Bonnett (1994), John Nemechek (1999), Clifford Allison (1993) and Blaize Alexander (an ARCA driver who also died in 2000) all died of the same injuries as Petty, R...

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