The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 18

18A SUNDAY MAY 2 1999 FROM PAGE ONE THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Best BBQ Sandwich in Town! 3 race fans killed by flying debris Largest Patio a Bring or Your Entertainment Appetite! in Chariotte! SPEEDWAY from 1A -I- 4 btwn(Woodiwn 527:8 4901014 Pintvlllr Rd to days a week it- Mi? Ss A v- 4- r- V'4 v- ir 4 'TV-- von- kSOoMio' Baby Shoes I 'Hw 5545 iiw4 i vs I TODD SUMUNStaff Speedway officials said they were uncertain if the tire and debris that flew into the stands at Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday night came off Stan car presence of Christ with Wingler also read several Bible verses to the crowd of us are deeply saddened by this driver Scott Goodyear said just feel sick right now and want to express my sympathy to the hour after the race had been called off A crowd of approximately 200 people listened to Mark Wingler chaplain of the IRL ministry in the late-night session now our emotions are at our Wingler said have suffered a loss this week In many ways we have lost our friends is a tragedy we just understand I wish I could tell you a reason for it we all think about this tragedy we have Wingler said we can have the picket fence to control the traffic At approximately 9:45 pm Wheeler told the crowd of more than 40000 what had happened deep regret we tell you we have had a serious accident in the fourth turn There have been fatalities and injured people In respect to them we are calling the event tonight Please include these people in your Wheeler said over the public address sys tern A special chapel service was held for the racing teams in the garage area approximately one For Day The Original Basha Baby Shoes Shoe Time! rows nearest the track The tire came across a safety fence that reaches 15 feet above the track Dorcas Harvey of Hickory was sitting in the ninth row of the section where the accident occurred She had a tire mark on her left shoulder where she said the tire had glanced off her as it came through the stands Harvey said she saw the tire hit a man sitting in front of her in the head then brush her before hitting another man sitting behind her Leo Mehl executive director of the IRL said the safety precautions for fans were adequate but acknowledged flying tires are a danger with open-wheel racing many many years and all the races that have been run arrived at fencing they have because proven effective I reconstruct the accident yet With an open-wheel car you do have a tendency to shed Mehl said One IRL race has been run at the speedway each year since 1997 The cars are the same open-wheel cars that run at the Indianapolis 500 and are much faster and lighter than the stock cars that generally run in Charlotte The qualifying speed for race was almost 40mph faster than the track record at Charlotte for NASCAR races There has not been a serious IRL accident at Charlotte since the races started here Asked what further safety precautions could have been taken Wheeler said he know a violent sport a sport you never know going to happen next You take the known things and quantify them when doing safety things what went into this wheel fence done the best we Wheeler said Last year three spectators were killed when a tire flew into the bleachers at a CART race in Michigan That series uses similar open-wheel cars Kevin Buff of Denver NC was sitting near the scene Saturday night saw debris flying up It hit a guy in the top of the Buff said guy sitting in front of us got hit by something too It looked like he got hit in the chest were doing CPR on a guy Everybody was trying to get the paramedics to come It took them a while to get there through the crowd There was blood everywhere It was Immediately after the accident security personnel began securing the location Three ambulances with their lights flashing were parked on the concourse underneath the grandstand Several other emergency vehicles also filled the concourse Security personnel moved hundreds of fans from the concourse and put up a temporary wooden Staff Writers Norm Gomlak and Greg Lacour special correspondent Chris Carr and the Associated Press contributed to this article COMPRESSION STOCKING SALE LTD DISTINCTIVE IEWELRY wwwhendricklexuscom Introducing Spa Hosiery Collection Registered Jewelers Certified Gemologists Member American Gem Society Cotswold Mall Charlotte NC 28211 704364-6543 Doctor Recommended 1 Consumer Preferred Love Thy Neighbor (GiveThemALift) $ave up to 15 on Spa Stockings Tuesday May WE GAN DIG rr Garden Pages Every Thursday (The (Charlotte Helen Wallace Spa Representative will be Here to answer your questions about compression stockings Compression Works 90S Pecan Avenue Charlotte NC 28205 704-376-5353 800-375-5321 mom HONEYBAKED HENDRICK' Sales: Mon-Fri Sat -5KX)pm Service: Mon-Fri -7 Sat 6025 East Independence Boulevard Charlotte North Carolina 704-568-4122 FLEX Mortgage LOAN TERM ii PAYMENT' FIXED RATE APR 25000 50000 75000 100000 15 YRS 15 YRS 15 YRS 15 YRS 21778 43555 65333 87111 65 65 65 65 749 6986 6876 6822 Ken luckadoo -Annual Paicaraage Rale OTHER AMOUNTS RATES AND TERMS AVAILABLE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS APPLY NO MONEY AFTER YOU HAVE RAID THE BILLS? 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