TALLADEGA, Ala. -- As you all know, garage overpopulation has become a major topic of conversation this season, and after what happened to Tony Stewart something needs to be done. I think I have a viable solution.
Kevin Harvick Credit: Autostock
To me, the biggest thing here is not what happens to the drivers - to me that's just part of our job. It's fan safety.
At this point, that's the glaring issue, because somebody's going to get run over by a car soon if we continue on with the policy we have right now.
That said, we can't simply abandon fans from the garage. That's not fair. That's why they come, to get up close and personal with the guys they cheer for every week.
They keep this sport running. They're why we have jobs. We have to make sure we come up with a common solution that benefits us and them.
Here's mine:
Fifteen minutes before each practice, clear the garage. Completely clear all the fans out. Then, 15 minutes after practice ends, they can come back in.
That way, you still get the best of both worlds. They still get what they want - driver access - and we have time to cool off, talk to our teams and get in the right frame of mind.
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That seems to be the most vulnerable time - during practice and obviously during the race. During the race, the guys are there to do a job.
That's their sole focus. They're not concerned with watching out for stray fans. That's not their job. That race car is their job.
And there's a lot of stuff going on, too. Fires, tires, lug nuts flying all over the place. It's a really vulnerable place to be. We don't need people getting hurt and damaging the outlook on our sport.
Like I said, you can't completely kick them out. Kansas Speedway has the best deal going. That Fan Walk deal is the best atmosphere yet.
The fans see us, interact with us, but can't crush us. It's really great. We need to be sure they stay there, but we also need to be sure we don't become easy targets for bad problems, like what happened to Tony.
Tony is the nicest guy in the garage, and he does everything he needs to do for our sport. When you get out of these racecars, you're full of adrenaline, full of emotion.
Sometimes you're pissed off and you don't want to see or talk to anybody. When that happens, you have to sit and think for a few minutes, collect yourself.
Ever since Martinsville, if I'm pissed off or mad, I stay in that seat for a few extra minutes so when I get out I can act responsibly. That's a big, big deal for me right now.
Since Tony got into some trouble, we've made it a rule that I've always got somebody with me -- at all times, no questions asked. There will be at least one person with me at all times, just to cover ourselves in case somebody tries to pull one over on us.
Credit: Autostock
It's a witness and bodyguard, so to speak, all at once, because it gets crazy sometimes. Every weekend you're walking through the garage and a huge herd of people shows up out of nowhere. It can get out of control quickly. They pull on your shirt, grab you, mark on you with Sharpies.
I go through a couple shirts a weekend with Sharpie marks all over them. But in my opinion, that is what makes our sport what it is. Those people are the ones that buy tickets, that buy merchandise.
So you can't totally abandon the race fan. That's why they come. That's why we have a job, so we want to be as kind and cordial as we can.
That's what I strive for. That's very important to me. I think it is for Tony, too. Tony's doing everything he can do to get all his ducks in a row and be sure he can handle the fans and media and all that comes with this job properly.
He's trying very hard. I enjoy being amongst the fans. I can handle myself in a group, can tell them to back off or chill out when it's necessary and still have everybody get what they want. Maybe I'm strange or something.
Maybe I speak away from what everyone else says, but I enjoy it, personally.
Some don't, so NASCAR needs to think of a solution. They'll do that. They'll come up with the common solution of what they think is right.
I definitely think there needs to be roped-off areas. The most vulnerable person is the one taking a picture, wandering out on pit road and suddenly can't hear because they're concentrating so hard on taking that picture.
You could easily hit somebody every weekend. We need a lane to go through inspection and a lane in and out of the garage. Sometimes we have that, sometimes we don't. It's needed everywhere, because I've seen several people get hit.
I watched the 77 car roll through inspection at Indianapolis and wind up with somebody on their hood. It wasn't even a fan. It was actually a security guard, not a fan. He was blowing his whistle, not paying attention to the car and bam, wound up on the hood.
I've seen those instances several times. I've had to come in on a plug check before and had to slam the brakes because people were in the way and don't even realize it.
That's why I say fan safety is the biggest concern right now. They're there, they're having a great time and lose track of their whereabouts. There's moving parts all over the place, and before long somebody's going to get hurt, or worse.
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
