Helton Says NASCAR is Fine: The president of NASCAR believes Winston Cup racing remains in good shape despite the death of Dale Earnhardt, increased skepticism about driver safety, and scrutiny over how the circuit handled the tragedy. “I think there’s a human factor you attach to sports that prevents you from being completely adequate,” Mike Helton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Still, I don’t think we would have handled anything differently.” Helton acknowledged that NASCAR’s public-relations effort may have left some room for criticism. The sport once known for catering to the media and its fans was left open to accusations of a whitewash in the Earnhardt case. See interview at ESPN(6-30-2001)
