The talk about motorsports can be about how to drive the track, or how good the motor is. Drivers can talk of a bad race, or a triumphant victory.
Crews can talk about an argument they had with other teams, costing them spots. Media then can take those incidents and spin them into articles that create a lot of talk.
But Sunday's action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway brought out the one part of racing, and motorsports in general, that no one wants to speak of. That's the thought of tragedy at the race track. It's an unspoken part of the sport that everyone knows is there.
The thought of someone getting injured, or possibly killed, at a track is an aspect everyone in racing knows can happen.
Drivers have raced with broken arms, ribs, with burns on their body, and have been forced to go to backup drivers when the injuries were too much to handle. It's a part of the sport no one will talk about because it's too heartbreaking.
When the accident in the Indy Car race happened, broadcasters did their normal routine in talking about what happened in the accident, not knowing what the drivers endured. Then the in-field interviews happened, just as you would expect.
But in between the interviews, and the broadcasters speaking, it was the visuals on the television that gave away the most trying messages.
Not one word was said, but the images could tell what was happening. Tears, anguish and many other emotions were seen on the faces of the crew members and drivers, long before the meeting was called in the media center. Everyone had that sinking feeling in their stomachs, or that thought in their mind of what was coming.
No one at ESPN was saying anything, as they waited for Indy Car to make the official announcement. But, just in their voices it could be heard that things were not good. Waiting certainly is hard to do, but in that process the fans watching could feel it.
Why don't they speak of it? It's like an unwritten rule in the sport, much like an unwritten rule in baseball is to not have a base runner walk across the pitcher's mound.
The only reason anyone talks about it is only AFTER something happens.
NASCAR doesn't talk about the deaths of drivers years after it happened, maybe with the exception of Dale Earnhardt. But, in the days after his death, it was the talk of everyone in racing. The reason being, that was the big news.
What were media talking about the following week, Dale? No, they were back to business, talking about the race winner.
Same goes with NHRA, Indy Car, even to monster trucks. Tragedy at the track is always a possibility, but it's not something talked about on a weekly basis. There's more talk of safety innovations in how they prevent a driver or crew member from being hurt, but not of the incident(s) that caused those kind of innovations.
Every media member, every driver, and every crew member of any motorsports team knows the risks when those helmets are put on, and the belts get pulled tight.
The loss of Dan Wheldon brings out an aspect of racing that no one in racing, whether they're part of the team or just covering the race, want to talk about. It's too sensitive, too heartbreaking, and too difficult for anyone to discuss.
It's only talked about when it needs to be talked about. Until that time comes, it's best to leave it alone.
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