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CNN Live At Daybreak

Safety Takes Spotlight at Daytona 500

Aired February 15, 2002 - 06:30   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.
CHAD MYERS, CNN ANCHOR: We are going live to Lilian Kim, who is at Daytona right now, where some would obviously consider hallowed ground, like me. The big high banked 500 miles coming up on Sunday -- 125 miles yesterday. The twin 125 qualifiers, a couple of surprises, a couple of maybe not surprises as Jeff Gordon wins the one race, but right now Lilian Kim joins us live from Daytona with the latest -- Lilian, how are you this morning?

LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing fine Chad. Well the big focus here at the Daytona 500 are changes in safety. NASCAR says this isn't the first time they've made changes in safety, but Dale Earnhardt's death did change everything, and as a result, drivers gearing up for Sunday's big race must face a whole new set of rules.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM (voice-over): Forty-three cars, 500 miles, and speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, all part of NASCAR's biggest race. But this new season brings new rules that have come to the sport as fast as the cars themselves.

MICHAEL WALTRIP, NASCAR DRIVER: In the past, when I get in my race car and buckle in, I -- you -- I thought I was safe then, but I know I'm much safer now.

KIM: Among the changes, black boxes, or crash data recorders, in every car. Helmets and fire suits for pit crewmembers and seat belts installed to manufacturer specifications. But perhaps the most important new rule, head and neck restraint systems for every driver.

JIM DOWNING: The straps restrain his head, takes the load off the neck, transfers it down into the shoulders -- a pretty simple concept.

KIM: Simple, perhaps, but even NASCAR's best chose to avoid them. Some say such a device could have saved Dale Earnhardt's life whose crash at last year's Daytona 500 prompted NASCAR to make the widespread changes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We took what was a -- was a tragic situation, and we were able to turn it into something that was a good for the sport.

KIM: Although some drivers have been reluctant about some of the safety equipment, most now seem to welcome the new safety rules.

RICKY RUDD, NASCAR DRIVER: It's awkward to say the least, but then after awhile you get to wearing them, and it becomes second nature. It's just part of the piece of equipment you put on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM: Also new this season, NASCAR will have an investigation team at every race. That combined with the new research and development center should help NASCAR respond more quickly to safety issues.

Reporting live from Daytona Beach, Florida, I'm Lilian Kim. Chad, back to you.

MYERS: Lilian, obviously this is the first Daytona 500 without Dale Earnhardt, Sr., without Dale Earnhardt, the black number three. Can you feel it there? Can you -- can you feel the weight on the people?

KIM: Definitely. Yesterday -- at yesterday's qualifying races, the emotions were running high. There are people wearing Dale Earnhardt paraphernalia. There are banners all over the place in honor of him, and of course there are many people gathered outside the Speedway where there is a nine-foot tall statue in honor of him.

MYERS: Obviously some of the race cars still in the Daytona Hall of Fame there. Can you -- is -- it seems to me, and I was talking to some other people down there that the race crews have healed. They've had 39 races last year to heal, but the fans really are the ones who are still crying out for Dale Earnhardt, for his loss.

KIM: Most definitely. As much as they loved and respected Dale Earnhardt, I think the overwhelming sentiment is that it's time to move on. Drivers just want to go in their cars and race. Fans are the ones who really are crying out, and are really hanging onto his memories, and you can really feel that here at the Speedway.

MYERS: Lilian, have you talked to Shawna Robinson yet, the female that's in the race this year?

KIM: I have not, but great accomplishment for her. The second woman ever to...

MYERS: Yeah.

KIM: ... race in the Daytona 500. So a big accomplishment for her and a milestone for the sport.

MYERS: I talked to her the first time probably five or six years ago at an ASA race back in either Minnesota or was -- no maybe it was Milwaukee, and she was really a vivacious young lady, ready to go racing, ready to prove that she can do what the men do.

KIM: Well I can't wait to meet her. MYERS: She is going to be great, and I'm sure if she gets -- and she's been in other NASCAR Winston Cup races before. This is just the first Daytona 500 that she's ...

KIM: You sound like a NASCAR expert.

MYERS: Lilian, you don't even want to know. Thank you very much. Carol already knows more than she wants to know already. So ...

COSTELLO: Yes that's true.

MYERS: I know.

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