Next Time, Stop The Freaking Race

You wonder if it does for Adrian Fernandez. The CART publicity sheets say he's having the best year of his life, ranked fourth in the points standings. But the sheets don't mention how he lost control of his car on the fourth turn that day and smashed the wall, sending his right front tire spinning up and over the 15-foot-high fence and through Christopher Fox's dad.

Three people are dead, and all Fernandez has done is send flowers. He hasn't visited or spoken with the victims' families, and all he has said since the day of the race is, "No comment." The CART people say he was a brave guy to climb back behind the wheel and win on Sunday in Ohio, but he hasn't had the guts yet to look into the eyes of the mothers and the kids.

Yeah, racing and sports and the world spin on at 9,000 rpm. Someday maybe Adrian Fernandez will figure he owes somebody a call. And someday maybe Steve Dawson will be fine, except for an empty seat next to him in the car and a chill that won't go away and the memory of the number of the seat Ken Fox took just ahead of him that gorgeous summer day.

Thirteen.