ARCADIA, Wis. -- Stock car racing has always been a dangerous sport - always will be. Long before 'Generation-X' had coined the term "Extreme Sport" there were automobile racers around the world pushing their machines to the absolute limit ... and sometimes beyond.

Quite frankly, that's part of the lure of this sport; watching a dirt-track driver man-handle a high-powered machine around a high-banked track at incredibly high speeds is extremely entertaining. Pack anywhere from 15 to 30 additional race cars around that dirt-track driver and now you've crossed over into the realm of 'edge-of-your-seat excitement' that draws the fans into the stands and the daredevils into the driver's seat!

But, just like football or skydiving or even something like free-style skateboarding, there are dangers inherent with the sport of stock-car racing. And these dangers have been made all too clear through the first half of this 2005 season.

Opening night at Fox Ridge Speedway in Arcadia saw not one but two violent roll-overs that launched the involved car high into the air before dropping it back down to mother earth like a crumpled wad of discarded printer paper. Luckily, in both of those incidents, the drivers popped out of the car unscathed - protected by the myriad of safety features surrounding them, and mandated by rules.

Helmets, safety harnesses, fire protection suits, a cocoon-like safety cage of roll-bars, racing seats, amongst other safety features, are all required because of the fact that racing is a dangerous sport.

But sometimes, even the immense amount of proactive planning and stringent requirements for safety features can not protect the driver from every possible scenario that might bring about an injury. The past two weeks have reminded the racing community of this fact with two scary on-track incidents.

The first incident was an incredibly horrifying accident at Deer Creek Speedway that sent five Modified drivers, including Cochrane driver Lonnie Earney, to Rochester, Minn., hospitals. Hearing Lonnie's son Eric explain to me Tuesday evening some of the details of that multi-car accident would send shivers down that spine of anyone.

"We're not really sure what it was, but something entered his cockpit and pierced his helmet -- that's what gave him the head injury; actually bruised his brain on the left side of his head. The hole in his helmet is so big I can stick a couple fingers through it!"

Right now, Earney remains in Rochester's St. Mary's Hospital with the head injury, along with a fractured vertebra, fractured ribs, a sprained shoulder, and heavy bruising over his arms and legs. Thankfully though, Eric was able to report that his father's condition is improving and he's getting better day by day.

Almost two weeks after the May 28th accident, "the swelling is down on his brain. He's not bleeding anymore. He has been up and walking with the help of a walker and a nurse, and his personality is still 100-percent Lonnie Earney," Eric said with a courageous attempt at humor and an audible expression of relief in his voice, "and the doctors tell us that we can realistically expect a full recovery -- but it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of healing over a lot of time. He's already involved in some intense physical therapy for day to day motor skills and mental rehab for short term memory loss.

"We're hoping to move him to a La Crosse hospital yet this week so that he's closer to home and easier for us to visit," continued Eric, referring to himself and his mother Rita. "Doctors are already saying that he could be coming home in a month - but the therapy and rehab will continue for a year or more.

"He's been racing forever, it seems," said Eric, "and he's always tried to be as safe as possible, but this was just a vicious accident, his seat was knocked loose, the roll cage was just bent all the way in where he'd normally be strapped into the seat. I've never seen damage like that before."

And when the safety features couldn't protect him any further, Earney's own body helped out.

"He's always been in pretty good shape, and the doctors told us that helped him out a lot," Eric explained. "They said that if he wasn't as physically fit as he was, he wouldn't be doing so well right now."

With the memory of Earney's accident still fresh in peoples minds, another incident was added to the already taut atmosphere.

This past Friday evening, the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature at Fox Ridge Speedway was red-flagged for almost half an hour after an accident involving Mondovi's Matt Steffen. While not nearly as horrifying in appearance as the accident involving Earney, when the speedway safety officials called for further assistance from local EMS, the fans feared the worst.

"I've got a badly sprained wrist - but it's doing fine," commented Steffen Wednesday, "But my head seems to not want to shake the head-aches from the concussion I received. The impact was so hard that I bent the steering wheel straight up with my hand or my head!"

Steffen went on to comment on another aspect of the 'safety zone' that is so deeply entrenched in racing.

"I believe the Fox Ridge safety crew did a great job. They were there checking up on me before I really knew exactly what was going on. They took their time and were super slow getting me out of the car for safety's sake; but, they did a great job!"

Our thoughts for a solid recovery go out to Lonnie Earney and his family, and a sigh of relief is shared for racers around the area like Matt Steffen who narrowly escape a potentially more harmful incident.

The whole racing community takes an emotional blow when a racer is injured; the impact on the immediate families is even harder. But as long as humans are on this planet, the competitive spirit that drives us will be there; and much of that spirit, I'm sure, will be found at a race track of some form or another. Doesn't matter if its cars, horses, chariots, or bikes ... the competitive nature of mankind will find a way to create a sport around it to see who can do it faster than everyone else.

The intent of this article is not to glorify the dangers of or injuries within Stock Car racing, but, rather, to discuss these aspects of the sport objectively just as I might discuss a racer's successes or different fan friendly areas of a speedway's facilities.

Stock Car racing is a dangerous sport, but with the safety features implemented within the cars, around the drivers and throughout the many racetracks that dot the landscape, every attempt is made to insure that as much of the danger is removed as possible so that even in extreme situations such as those of Earney or Steffen the driver is still with us to enjoy the sport on another day. Another day upon which we can enjoy the fun aspects of the sport: side by side battles, changes for position, driving skills unequaled by many - you know, good ol' fashioned edge-of-your-seat excitement!

To get a taste of some of this racing excitement, visit Fox Ridge Speedway this Friday night for FASTENAL COMPANY night at 'The Ridge'. Hot laps begin at 7 p.m. with the first green flag waving at 7:30!