Most drivers refuse to even think about the risk factor when they get into the car. But five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who walked away from a nasty hit in Saturday night's race at Charlotte, admitted Wheldon's death has made drivers confront the dangers.
Johnson was one of 10 drivers who tested at Charlotte on Monday, the day after Wheldon's accident.
"Getting in the car ... deep in the back of my mind, just thinking about things and there's my marks in the wall in turn two and I'm like 'Yeah, I had a bad angle and I hit pretty hard,'" Johnson said. "I think we spend very little time as drivers thinking about it, right or wrong. It's just kind of who we are."
NASCAR has made significant upgrades in safety since Dale Earnhardt's 2001 fatal accident, from SAFER barriers, an updated car, the mandatory use of head-and-neck restraints and stronger
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (17) prepares for practice at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 21, 2011. ((AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt))
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