Saturday at Daytona the NASCAR Nationwide Series went green with the season opener DRIVE4COPD 300. A bunch of Cup drivers were in the field and a few went into the field…

Among the “Cups” that had their Nationwide day shortened early were Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne and Kurt Busch.

However, the very real nature of the race, the day and the sport came in the run to the checkered flag. It started with an “out of the couch” moment at 5 laps to go wrecking the field and red lighting the rest.

The win under the sun and Florida heat went to Tony Stewart after a restart on the outside, getting taken over and chasing down inside the top 4 on a run to the finish. Regan Smith and Brad Keselowski touched and went loose out of the final turn and bunched up a melee of torn metal and battered fencing. The front of Kyle Larson’s #32 Chevy was left in the wall and fencing after going airborne in the mix, sending a wheel and brake assembly into the stands.

Stewart, in post race interviews, showed an almost complete disinterest in the win while almost tearful in concern for fans and other drivers. Other drivers showed real concern for fans as well through post race discussions.

There are some reports, still unclear, concerning any fan injuries. Drivers, as mandated, were checked and beyond a bruise or two were all OK. The latest word on fans was that 11 to 15 were injured and 6 of those were listed as critical but stable.

Racing, and NASCAR, have made incredible leaps for safety in the car and that research and development has made its way to the passenger car that gets all of us to the race. Over time, the fencing and retaining walls have been engineered to protect more and more. The wall and fencing at Daytona had been restructured and strengthened following a Truck Series crash from 2000. However, as this race closed on the checkered flag, the planning and considerations for safety show that the unforeseen may show itself at any moment.

Expressions of concern, very real, heartfelt and shattered, are coming from every corner of NASCAR and the racing community. Here, we share those same thoughts. As the season is so fresh with new cars and new faces it all seems small compared to injuries to fans who have spent their time, their vacations and their money to follow the sport they love.

The Daytona 500 will go on. Officials will have the wall and fencing repaired. Fans will fill up the stands.

Let us all hope for fast and safe returns for those injured today. We’ll congratulate Tony Stewart even as we know his desire to win falls far short of his concern for those who came to see it. As we heard from other drivers it was clear they shared the same concern.

Today we learn that winning is not always everything. When it comes on the sacrifice of fan safety it is practically meaningless. The look on Tony Stewart’s face showed it all too well.