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CNN Live Saturday

Pepsi 400 First Race at Daytona Since Earnhardt's Death

Aired July 07, 2001 - 10:03   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight's race marks the return of NASCAR to Daytona since Dale Earnhardt was killed there in the final lap of the Daytona 500 back in February.

John Giannone of CNN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is joining us live for a live report from Daytona with a preview -- John.

JOHN GIANNONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donna, when 43 cars around this track for the start of lap 3 tonight, nearly 200,000 fans around the speedway will hold up this sign in remembrance of number 3, Dale Earnhardt, the man whose death here on February 18, 20 weeks ago, has cast a long pall on the sport of auto racing.

Certainly it has been a week of remembering Earnhardt, but it's also been a week in which driver safety has intensified. Back on February 18, there were 19 cars involved in a harrowing crash on lap 173, a crash that so often fuels driver concerns that racetracks like Daytona, where cars run three and four wide at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour.

For many drivers the prospect of a major wreck isn't an issue of if, but when.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing is different than what we had in February. This is a small racetrack. I know it looks big, but when you get three wide, this is not a big racetrack. The possibility is certainly there, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see a big wreck.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We run close together and that's what the fans want to see. And it makes it tough racing like that. You have got to be perfect for three or fours hours, but if stuff happens like that, it just part of racing. That happens every single weekend.

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JEFF GORDON, NASCAR DRIVER: Handling becomes a bigger issue. You can't get four wide. You can get three wide at times but you don't want to be there for long. I'm hoping that the temperatures like this will keep us spread out a little bit more than it did here in February.

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GIANNONE: Now, since Earnhardt's death in February one advancement in technology that we have seen in the sport is increased use of the head and neck safety device, called Hans device or the Hutchins device. Back on February 18, in the Daytona 500, only seven drivers used the device. In tonight's race, all by 6 drivers will have some sort of head and neck restraint device, however, Donna, one driver that won't, Dale Earnhardt Jr. who still resists wearing that device.

KELLEY: John, the race is at night, certainly they are talking a lot about safety. Is that going to be an issue?

GIANNONE: It really won't, Donna, because this track was tested back in 1998. In fact, Dale Earnhardt, the late Dale Earnhardt, was the first driver to ever drive at night here on the track back on February 7 of '98. There are plenty of lights out here, so lighting is not an issue. That is not the concern. The concern of course is how fast these cars can go and closely bunched they are, so really lighting isn't the issue as much as drivers making sure that they look out for the other drivers.

KELLEY: John Giannone, there in Daytona. Thanks very much. We'll see you soon.

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