Brandon L. Scales
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
Abstract
There have been more high profile deaths of racers in more recent years throughout organized automotive racing. NASCAR, the most popular brand in America, has incurred its share of accidents within the confines of the sport. However, there is a particular area of interest to occupational safety and health professionals that can be examined and applied to other work environments. In particular the environments where fires and explosions are likely to cause injury or death are examined.
Keywords: fire, safety, NASCAR, automotive, racing, technology
A Look at …show more content…
Since my introduction to athletic competitions at the age of 13 I have been a sports fan. Growing up in North Carolina along Tobacco Road and earning a degree in mechanical engineering, it would be common to assume that I would love to watch NASCAR or other automotive racing. However, through research it may be clear as to why the connection between being an engineer and being a lover of sports has never led me to even watch a full race before writing this paper. As a safety professional, the prevention and loss of life and injury should be the most important factor in any industry. Accidental deaths seem to be common in automotive racing and I am going to present details on what NASCAR has done to make it's sport more safe through the use of fire technology while also presenting that there needs to be more research into the deaths of automotive racing employees, including the drivers, during …show more content…
Relationship marketing is defined by the Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia (2015) as "benefits that ongoing relationships with key customers can bring to an organization." NASCAR uses relationship marketing more effectively than any other sport in the United States (Tarcy, 2008). The private organization has relationships with corporate companies that use NASCAR to market to its base of customers. In the past, these companies would target fans that were of particular groups. However, NASCAR has now geared its products to attract more minorities and more women to increase its product to increas its diversity (Tarcy, 2008). Another strategy that can be considered is the violence of the sport. According to Hill & McKinley (2012), there have been a total of 220 crashes from 2001 to 2009 in NASCAR. This high number shows that crashes are highly ingrained into the sport of stock car racing. Tarcy (2008) calls it a contact sport and mentions that its not the crashes but the possibility of crashes that brings the appeal to drawn in more