RPW Column: Roberts’ Flip At Land Of Legends Still Proves The Dangers Of Auto Racing

Column By: MARTY CZECALA / RPW – CANANDAIGUA, NY – Some fans believe that auto racing is one of the safest sports out there.

That is a complete fallacy.

Whether it be Billy Pauch Jr.’s barrel roll last year at the Speed Showcase 200 to Buzzie Reutimann rear-ending a stopped Sammy Swindell at Super Dirt Week ’85. This sport can come back to bite us and show how dangerous the fast, adrenaline-paced sport is.

Adam Roberts was on the dangerous side of things Saturday night at Land of Legends Raceway. During the Big Block Modified feature on lap two, he touched wheels with Lance Dusett that sent Roberts airborne, bending a guardrail pole and putting him into a nasty end-over-end barrel roll.

But that wasn’t the end of it. As Roberts was in his nasty tumble, he was in the path of James Sweeting that left him with nothing Sweeting could do about it. The action? A head-on collision with the bottom of Roberts’ Troyer chassis increasing the force of the flip and catching both cars on fire.

All drivers involved walked away from the accident. Once it was announced through the one-way radios and PA system, the crowd came to their feet and roared, realizing that all survived.

“Scary for sure, this Troyer TD5 held up real nice, protected me, can’t be happier,” Roberts told RPW after the accident.

So what led to all drivers walking away?

First off, the chassis. Whether drivers are in a Bicknell, Troyer, Teo, etc., they’re just as durable as what you see in stock car racing.

From numerous photos posted on social media through SNY Dirt Fights, the Troyer chassis around the driver stayed intact the entire way, except the front nose being sheared off.

“It seemed like we got him with the right front in the hood area. It didn’t take no abuse to the cage or nothing like that. The front clip is bent. All our safety equipment did its job,” Sweeting said.

Combined with safety regulations DIRTCar Northeast has put in place. The notable examples include steel tubing in the frame—total containment seats with head, shoulder, and torso surround system—energy impact foam. SFI approved restraint systems and firesuits. FIA and Snell approved helmets. HANS devices. Fire suppression systems etc., saved all lives that were involved.

“The safety has definitely gone way through the roof in the last few years,” said Marcus Dinkins, who was also involved in the crash. “The only reason why I got out of the car because the car next to me was on fire. It didn’t even hurt me at all. I know the other guy got out real quick, and I’m sure he’s alright.”

Matt Sheppard, who won the Big Block feature, has been fielding his own cars since 2016. As a mechanical engineer who graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology, Sheppard talked about the safety improvements that have been made throughout his career.

“Everybody puts their best effort in to make the car safer. We’ve added bars here and there throughout the years. Of course, the safety equipment always gets better. It’s just nice when you see a wreck like that, and everybody is okay,” Sheppard said.

Another big key was the track safety at Land of Legends. When Roberts got into the guardrail on top of the wall, the car got into one of the rail poles, bending it that kept the car on the track surface. It also prevented it from getting into the external fencing that separates the stands from the dirt.

When the accident came to a standstill, crews were immediately on the scene to put out the fires, get the drivers out of their cars, clean the track up, and get the mangled cars towed back to the pits. All the drivers that missed the wrecked came to a stop on the back straightaway in seconds and complied well with race director Greg Hixson’s instructions.

“I saw when he went up on the wall. Started clipping the post. Of course, at that point, I saw him start to flip. My main concern is to get the other cars slowed down, so I was yelling ‘red red red’ the second he started flipping. From that point on, my job is to try to make room for our safety crew,” said Hixson. “Our safety crew is top-notch, and [I] have 100% faith in what they do. They did a great job…It’s pretty traumatic watching that, especially with your fellow racers in there. Fire is one of the scariest parts of racing for anybody.”

This could be it for Roberts for a while at Land of Legends, as he only has one vehicle, unlike bigger teams that race in the Super DIRTCar Series.

“My race car is junk. I don’t have three or four racecars; this is it. I don’t know when you’re going to see me at Land of Legends again, but if we are back, I’ll be back in full vengeance,” Roberts added.

I’ll end the story with the final sentences of a warranty disclaimer that Bicknell Racing Products puts in all their chassis. “Auto racing is a dangerous activity and participants are regularly injured or killed. Such risk of injury or death cannot be eliminated. Always use approved safety devices to reduce risk of injury or death and do not operate this vehicle without proper instruction, supervision, or beyond operator’s capabilities.”