An Outspoken Champion

NASCAR announced this past week that they are mandating ImPACT baseline concussion testing for 2014. Concussions in sports have been a major topic of discussion in recent times. This year, the NFL agreed to copious monetary amounts in settlements to former players and family members of deceased players who suffered from concussions and the after effects they can cause. Last week, Brett Favre admitted to not remembering personal details about his life with his family caused by some of the hard hits during his time in professional sports. So, when NASCAR announced they are going to mandate testing along the lines of other professional sports, it’s a good idea, right?

One thing I have always said about being a Keselowski fan is that I’m glad that Brad is not afraid to voice his opinion, whether people agree with it or not. It doesn’t matter even if I agree with that opinion, the fact that he isn’t afraid to criticize or question things only solidifies why he is my driver. He’s taken a lot of heat this weekend for comments reported by the media that he doesn’t feel this is a good solution. Just a normal day at the race track right?

The fact that Brad isn’t afraid to criticize or question things only solidifies why he is my driver. 

ImPACT (which stands for Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) provides tools for trained medical professionals to measure an athlete’s ability to return safely to their normal activity. According to their website, ImPACT is currently used in sports in the MLB, NHL, and NFL. The ImPACT model has a five step process. Pre-season, a baseline is determined of an athlete’s brain activity. If a concussion is suspected, the athlete is then brought in for testing and measurement of activity in the brain, which is then compared to the baseline. The steps following are the healing process and testing for return back to the norm. It’s a pretty lengthy process, but it is meant to prevent athletes from further injury themselves or someone else. Only when the athlete is cleared by a medical expert would they be allowed to return to normal activity.

Friday, Brad went on Twitter to give his stance on this matter. What I got from his tweets is that they weren’t so much about the severe concussions, the ones that can be confirmed. His concern is more toward the milder ones. How fair would it be to hold a competitor back if it was a mild case and the test wasn’t 100% accurate? When asked if he’d ever experienced a concussion, Brad said he wasn’t sure because doctors have never been able to diagnose him. I understand his hesitancy on the subject. Again, I’m no medical professional, and I don’t pretend to know more about brain injuries than someone who is in the medical field. But he gives a good argument in why he considers himself on the fence on this subject.

Can this testing really measure the way a racecar driver’s brain works before and after some type of impact? NASCAR is a completely different playing field from stick and ball sports where the impacts are person on person. There are so many more factors in our sport. NASCAR is truly unique because it requires more than just the athlete to participate. I’m not sure if the ImPACT baseline testing is the best route to go. I feel like NASCAR is looking at all of the possibilities in this regard and, I hope, take the competitor’s concerns and questions into consideration.

All I know is, Brad isn’t going to be quiet when he feels as if all is not well in the sport. As a champion, he is looking toward the betterment of the sport, and when he questions something, I think we all should question it. He’s a smart guy, much smarter than people give him credit for. His honesty is something to be admired, in a world where sponsors and being politically correct rule.