Will fans and participants tolerate SLOWER speeds? Again let’s look at NASCAR. Bill Elliott qualified at over 212MPH at Talladega in 1987. During that year’s race, Bobby Allison’s car launched into the catch fencing and nearly flew into the grandstands. NASCAR mandated horsepower robbing “restrictor plates” to slow the cars down at the two longest superspeedways and cars have not run 200MPH at Talladega or Daytona since. Did the reduction in speed hurt attendance? No way! For over twenty years 100,000 plus fans have watched the “slower” cars race at both racetracks.

What else can be done? I would encourage the Presidents of the two largest drag racing organizations in the country…Tom Compton of the NHRA and Aaron Polburn of the IHRA to get together with John Force and his Eric Medlen Project for a Safety Symposium with a group of drivers, crew, track owners, officials, safety personnel, broadcasters, drag racing journalists and fans at a venue like Norwalk and brainstorm safety for as long as it takes to come up with some doable, cost-effective solutions. Wouldn’t it be great if they could agree on a standard race distance of an eighth of a mile and rules reciprocity that would allow drivers to race between the two sanctioning bodies in the safest vehicles possible at the safest facilities available? Norwalk, Ohio would be an excellent choice for the symposium as it is the headquarters of the IHRA and the site of the NHRA’s Summit Motorsports Park which was the former IHRA flagship track. What do you think? Email your comments and safety suggestion to and I’ll forward them to the appropriate people.

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for 'Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain','The SPEED Report', book reviewer and columnist for SPEEDtv.com. (SPEED Photo)

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” and
Book Reviewer for SpeedTV.com.

Leary was track announcer for Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during “down time” by conducting “crowd participation” and product giveaways with the Hooter’s Girls. He was Marketing and PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway.

As Photo Editor, feature writer, columnist and swimsuit calendar chief photographer for “Sports Jam Magazine,” Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. He has photographed dozens of celebrities from A-Z…including Mario Andretti, Jim Brown, AJ Foyt, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Mark McGwire, Paul Newman, Walter Payton, Alex Zanardi and Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gregg’s wife, Lynn lives in Jefferson, OH. His daughter, Caitlynn is an acting student at UNC Wilmington and his son, Sean is a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand up comedy around the country. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and Exeter University in England. Gregg has hitchhiked 40,000 miles through 36 states and 10 European countries and is a licensed pilot and skydiver. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis. Contact him via email at .

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED