The latest psuedo-blowover accident in South Georgia over the weekend by veteran driver Stevie Jackson has a lot of people in the community talking, with many calling for the rulesmakers to institute the mandated use of wheelie bars in the name of safety. Obviously, that would seem the most logical cure to the problem of 1.5-ton race cars taking flight with little in the way of pilot control (nevermind that wheelie bars would do little to stop these cars from unloading the rear tires and crashing anyway). But we — and the promoters, racers, and racetracks who make their money from this genre of the sport — have to ask ourselves if it’s really worth it. So, let’s address the 2,925 pound gorilla in the room.

Unpredictably and danger — or at least the perception of danger — are what sells tickets. Sure, there are plenty of diehard fans who love drag racing for nothing more than the side-by-side competition, the noise, and the technology. That’s a good thing….that’s what the primary motivator for attending an auto racing event should be. But the reality is, carnage or the likelihood of witnessing carnage plays to people’s emotions, and as long as that element exists, they will continue to spend their hard-earned entertainment dollar on radial tire drag racing. Did Steve Jackson folding up The Shadow create instant reason for fans to buy tickets to Lights Out 8 in February? It’s of little consolation to he and Phil Shuler, but damn right it did.

This point can be argued to death, but it’s hard to deny that those two factors — danger and unpredictability — directly correlate with spectator interest. There was a time, not long ago, that NASCAR packed its racetracks, with a significant percentage of those fans unashamed to admit they were there for the crashes. Since that peak, NASCAR has made its cars and drivers infinitely safer and the racing more watered-down, and the result has been unthinkably low crowds at every venue.

Had Robert “Evel” Knievel been enveloped in a bubble that guaranteed him to be uninjured whether he successfully completed a motorcycle jump or not, do you believe he would have become a worldwide sensation, much less sold a single ticket? If the members of the famous Wallenda family of tightrope walkers had been wearing harnesses, would they be famous at all? Absolutely not, on both points.

I’m not advocating that we put drivers in three-second, 200 mph Radial vs The World cars in straight-billed hats, black tee shirts emblazoned with their EFI brand of choice, and blue jeans, but at some point we have to consider the preservation of the entertainment element of drag racing. This sport is absolutely dangerous, but these men and women, even after watching Steve Jackson, DeWayne Mills, and Dennis Bailey push their cars beyond the limit, continue to willingly strap into their race cars and do this. And that means that, at the end of the day, they and their families believe they’re safe and that what they’re doing is worth the risk.

So, why mess with a good thing? Wheelie bars have their place, let’s not mistake that point, but it’s not in radial tire racing.