April 7, 1999 Ted Novinger, the Hobby Stock driver severely injured on March 20th, is still listed in Critical Condition at Shands Hospital in Ocala. There has been a Fund set up at the following address: Novinger Trust
AmSouth Bank
10715 SE US Hwy. 441
Ocala, Florida 34482 Donations can be sent to the above address to help the Novinger family in this time of need. Tammy at New Smyrna Speedway has led the way in helping not only the Novingers by getting the ball rolling with $1400 in donations, but has inspired the drivers at Orlando Speedworld and New Smyrna Speedway to increase their commitment to safety. Many drivers are acquiring better safety equipment, and the two tracks owned by Robert Hart have stepped up their safety inspections, along with other actions. In related news the National Fire Protection Association ,the recognized leader in fire safety, has been in existence since 1896. The organization is a standards development organization that provides research and proposes standards on fire safety for governments and industry. The NFPA is currently studying national standards for racing facilities. It is expected to be a major issue of discussion at the upcoming meeting NFPA regional directors in May. There are also several private initiatives being proposed to require certain standards of fire prevention and fire handling procedures at Florida race tracks. One fan summed it up recently on a Internet message board, “Providing such things as fire extinguishers should be mandated by law, as well as a requirement to have an ambulance with trained emergency medical personnel standing by at the track. I'm sure most racers pay an entry fee to race, and the very least they should be able to expect is that a track operator in turn will provide basic emergency equipment such as this. If they don't, then this is one of the few situations I believe the government should step in and set up minimum life safety requirements.” It appears that the drive to improve safety for fans and drivers may be taken out of the hands of the owners if the state or county governments get involved. There has been at least one case of a county commissioner calling for better safety measures at a racing facility in Florida. The state of Georgia has a permanent Race Track Inspector. He inspects tracks to ensure compliance with safety codes, including fire related issues. It could be that Florida may soon follow suit with some sort of action to enforce safety regulations on the racing industry.
-Jack Smith
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