I would love to say that this is just a recent trend that I am seeing, but that certainly isn’t the case. It has started to make me wonder how many racers actually care about their own safety. And no, the headline photo has nothing to do with the article!

For years now as I stand behind the lens of a camera and see much more than anyone else of what is happening inside the car as it travels down the track, there is a common thread, the apparent lack of giving a fuck about ones self while driving a race car.

Whether it is loose belts, diapers, fittings, apparel, helmets, etc. it seems like there are way too many damn drivers that will risk everything in their $100k race car out of sheer laziness or because “it’s not comfortable”. It’s not suppose to be like sitting in a god damn lazy boy recliner in your living room on a Sunday afternoon watching football!!

With that said, the growing trend that I have seen among so many drivers outside of the NHRA, which to their credit is damn tough on drivers about this, it the full face helmet, but having the shield up during the entire pass. What is the actual fuck is the point of having a full face helmet with shield and a HANS device when you don’t use the damn thing properly or to its potential?

I know for a fact when racers read this they are going to blast me, which I am used to at this point in my career and really don’t care if they do. They will use words like fog or phrases like “I can’t see as well” for excuses why the shield isn’t down and locked in. Then you ask them about a fresh air system and they will complain about price. That’s right, the same men and women that build $100k, $200k, $300k race cars are complaining about having to purchase a fresh air system for their car.

While I do believe that SFI and drag racing screw the drivers on the time frame for certifying safety equipment compared to other motorsports, I guess that it really doesn’t matter if you aren’t going to use the damn thing the way it was intended to begin with. Now, before you do decide to blast me and say “I never do that” you’d better make sure I don’t already have a photo of you doing it.

I raced a 12 second street car back in the day and wore a G-Force Full Face helmet on my fat dome. You can bet that every pass down the track that visor was down where it should be. How much is your face, sight, hearing, or even the ability to eat and breathe worth to you? If those things mean nothing to you, along with the idea of being able to see your kids or grandkids, then by all means keep doing the dumb shit that you are doing. If those things really matter to you, find a solution that keeps you safe so that on Monday morning after the event you are able to open your eyes and see your family and the ones that you love!