Junior racing Sunday | Marlin getting death threats

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- They're talking about Dale Earnhardt's death on San Diego sports radio. CNN interrupted programming to televise NASCAR's ensuing news conference live. Even President George W. Bush called Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, to offer his condolences.

NASCAR, you're not in Kansas anymore, figuratively speaking. Actually, you are in Kansas ... and Chicago, New York, California, etc. and that's the point.

NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. and his family have been methodical about rules changes and appear to be in no hurry now.(AP)

For 52 years NASCAR has worked hard to garner a broader, national interest for its brand of close-quarter, hard-charging stock car fun. Now, it definitely has everyone's attention.

What NASCAR does on this national stage will determine how well it carries on following the tragic loss of its biggest superstar. The "invincible" seven-time Winston Cup champ was killed after his famous black No. 3 Chevy crashed into Daytona International Speedway's Turn 4 wall on the final lap of Sunday's Daytona 500.

And people want answers.

Could something have prevented his death? Is this sport as safe as possible? How will NASCAR respond?

The questions aren't just coming from the longtime, NASCAR-friendly beat reporters from the Carolinas, either. The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune; CNN, CBS, Fox News ... they have questions.

Part of NASCAR's intention in signing a hefty $2 billion television deal with Fox and NBC last year was to continue introducing stock car racing into mainstream America. Everyone's talking about Sunday's Daytona 500 all right, but not necessarily for the reasons NASCAR had in mind.

Even if you aren't an auto racing fan, you pay attention to its Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. And if you've watched a Daytona 500 anytime during the past 22 years, you knew Dale Earnhardt. That was his race. That was his track. No one has won more races there.

And that makes his fate even crueler.

Even before the first wheel turned for Daytona 500 practice, safety was a big issue.

NASCAR maintained it was always looking for ways to improve safety. Most drivers said they feel comfortable with NASCAR's methodical approach.

Some, like Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, insist that ultimately, extra safety precautions such as the use of HANS (Head and Neck Support) devices should be left up to the driver, not mandated by the series.

And not much has changed following Earnhardt's death. One of Earnhardt's attending emergency room doctors said he couldn't be sure if the HANS would have saved Earnhardt's life. The head injuries were so severe and even the HANS doesn't stop the trauma to free-floating organs like the brain in 180-mph crashes.

While other forms of racing have required the use of the HANS, only five Winston Cup drivers used it Sunday, and NASCAR hasn't changed its policy from "strongly recommending" the HANS to mandating its use.

"We simply won't react for the sake of reacting," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "We will do things when it is the right thing to do."

Said NASCAR communications director John Griffin: "For us, it's about results, not PR."

That might sound almost defiant in tone. But you have to understand, for most of its 52-year history, NASCAR has been a likeable dictatorship. The France family dynasty made the rules, enforced the rules and always took care of their own.

But four of their own -- including Earnhardt, Richard Petty's grandson Adam, former Winston Cup rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin and Craftsman Truck Series driver Tony Roper -- have been killed in the past nine months.

That kind of statistic draws attention, even from news outlets and radio sports jocks that don't normally talk about NASCAR except to use it as a punch line.

During Monday's news conference, NASCAR offered no specifics as to what its safety research and development included, except to say it was spending in the "seven figures."

NASCAR deserves credit for being up front and available for discussions. But taking questions and supplying answers are two different things. NASCAR will probably face more scrutiny in the next few months than it has in the previous 52 years.

As long as competitors are comfortable with their circumstances, NASCAR will continue with its slow and methodical tack. Ultimately the drivers are the ones who deserve NASCAR's accountability. It's their questions that must be answered.