Thursday, July 25, 2002
Driver's death dooms figure-8 track
By Dustin Dow ddow@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Florence Speedway has removed the figure-eight racetrack where popular driver Denny Kleier died June 29 in a crash. Speedway owner Jerry King said it was “too painful” to have the track there.
King, who still has an oval dirt track at the Union, Ky., speedway, had canceled races for the rest of the season following Kleier's death. Although King wouldn't rule out reconstructing a figure-eight dirt track, he said he couldn't even think about the possibility now.
“Denny was a personal friend of mine,” King said Wednesday. “At this time, I just don't want to run figure-eights anymore. It's too painful.
“You expect some injuries, maybe a broken hand or something. I never would have done it, though, if I thought someone would die.”
King has said accidents in the “X” intersection of the figure eight are common and part of the sport but usually cause nothing more serious than spinouts, even though the cars travel at 30-40 mph.
Craig Clarke, an expert on the subject, said the poten tial for greater injury is much higher.
“Figure-eight racing is the most dangerous form of racing because you're constantly changing directions throughout the race,” said Clarke, director of Track Rescue Fire Department, which provides emergency response and safety guidelines for eastern U.S. auto racing tracks. “The potential is there for great bodily harm, including death.”
Kleier, 40, of Florence, died when the car of Terry Fannin hit his driver-side door in the “X” intersection. The impact snapped Kleier's brain stem, killing him immediately, according to a coroner's report.
Cars at Florence Speedway are the same type driving on city streets, with a few safety modifications such as roll cages and steel-reinforced doors.
Safety experts recommend that all race drivers wear head restraints that are mandated in major circuits such as NASCAR and CART. The HANS device is the most tested head and neck restraint but costs about $1,200. That is often too much for figure-eight drivers who earn barely enough winnings to break even with car maintenance costs. Florence paid $200 for a figure- eight win — $500 if there were 15 or more cars on the track.
“The HANS device would have helped (Kleier),” CART medical director Steve Olvey said. “It has shown to be effective on reducing head and neck loads by 40 to 60 percent. You can't say for sure it would have saved him, but it definitely would have helped him, because it reduces side-to-side movement of the neck.”
This has been a tragic year at Florence Speedway.
Dave Robertson died of a heart attack during a race on the oval track June 1. King said he wants to hold a memorial race at the beginning of next season to honor Robertson and Kleier.
Kleier lived with his mother, Marita Kleier, in Florence and was engaged to be married. Marita Kleier said Wednesday after noon she didn't know the figure-eight track was removed.
“Jerry had said they might do that,” Marita Kleier said. “I don't think they wanted to take a chance on anything like this happening again. I'm not sure if I will go down to the track again. I don't know if I could bring myself to do that.”
Kleier was a figure-eight icon at the speedway. He was known for recruiting drivers from other tracks and helping local drivers with their cars. He was a former season champion and was the season points leader when he died. When King first called off racing at the figure eight, he said it was to honor Kleier and make sure he finished the year as the points champion again.
The deaths of Kleier and Robertson prompted an outpouring of emotion on the track's Web site message board by fans and drivers.
“I know Jerry was very touched by my son,” Marita Kleier said. “He told me my son would never be forgotten at the speedway.”
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