[Russ Dickey]

Folks:
There is a risk factor associated with everything we do in life. Whether it's driving a fast car, trying to pass a stone on the crapper, or even changing a flat tire on the side of the road. Granted, the risk factors vary greatly.

You have to know that when you get out of your car on the highway to change a tire, you might get hit by someone. The flat tire may be unavoidable, but choosing to change it yourself isn't. A truly cautious person would call AAA or some Highway Assitance person to come change it for them, but if you choose to change it yourself, in the back of your head, you know you run the risk of getting killed in an accident. You don't intend for that to happen, but it might.

How is this not the same as a street race? Mark never intended to lose control of his vehicle, but in the back of his mind, he knew the risk was there. Unfortunately, his number was simply up.

I guess it's my humble opinion that these threads (and recently the media) are blowing street racing way out of proportion. The casualty statistics simply don't support the hype. Street racing is the true root of our hobby, and I'm sure almost everyone on this forum has done it. Recently, I've been around a bevy of Cobra and muscle-car owners who were all standing around bench racing and sharing their stories of "gettin' a little crazy" on the streets of KC.

Again, the risk factor is higher, but no street racer intends to hurt their cars, themselves, or others. But accidents happen.