On Saturday, September 27th, during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series qualifying session, Brandon Spithaler caught the turn 3 wall and flipped several times, coming to rest upside down on the track. The response of the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew was mere seconds. With fuel pouring out of the fuel cell, which took an impact during the flips, the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew decided to flip the vehicle back over with Spithaler still inside, a common practice to alleviate the pressure of the belts on the driver when suspended upside down. As the car was uprighted, the methanol fuel ignited, and a flash fire ensued. Spithaler jumped from the cockpit of the car as one Safety Crew member shouted, “He’s on Fire!”. Immediately, the Safety Crew turned all their attention to Spithaler as he ran away from the car and hit the track surface to begin the “Stop, Drop, & Roll”. A member of the Safety Crew grabbed Spithaler and held him still while another member sprayed Spithaler with a fire extinguisher. The fire was out in just seconds.
That response was not just a stroke of luck, that’s what the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew trains for. Created in 1980, when Sharon Speedway became a ½ mile dirt track (after several years of running as a paved ½ mile), the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew is made up mostly of local firefighters and EMT’s the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew is one of the best in the business. We had a chance to meet several of the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew Members during the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event in September.
Jim Richmond: a firefighter since 1987 has been a part of the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew since 1986, but took a break as his firefighter duties took him away from the track for several years before returning to the crew 12 years ago.
Mike Hagood: Firefighter since 1984, retired fire Captain, still Volunteer Asst Chief with another department, been with the fire crew since 1980, Mike is also an EMT.
Denis Greenwood: Firefighter for 42 years, has been with the Safety Crew for 34 years.
Mike Novotny: Firefighter for 33 years, Assistant Fire Chief and Advanced EMT , has been with the Safety Crew for 10 years.
Willie Breetz: Firefighter/Captain for 38 years, has been on the Safety Crew for 6 years.
Joseph Page: Firefighter / EMT for 8 years, has been on the Safety Crew for 3 years.
Gary Spangler: Firefighter/ Captain 15 years, has worked for Safety Crew for 36 years at other tracks, been with our Safety Crew for 10 years.
Ted Pettigrew: Firefighter for 39 years, Paramedic for 37 years and with the Safety Crew for 33 years.
Greg Houlette: Firefighter for 8 years and with Safety Crew for 3 years.
CJ Mcpherson: Firefighter for 15 years, on the Safety Crew for 8 years.
Randy Keller: Firefighter for 24 years, started on the Safety Crew 2025.
Burton Miller: Firefighter for 7 years started on the Safety Crew 2025.
As someone who travels around to various race tracks throughout the year, I was amazed by the response of this team and mentioned that to my fellow photographer and Sharon regular, Jim Balentine. Jim introduced me to a few of the men in the heavy firesuits ready to jump in when needed. The preparation that these men put into providing the safest environment and fastest response when something goes wrong is respectable.
In an era where Safety Crews are inadequately supplied, Sharon bucks the trend of cutting corners. In addition to the Safety Crew, an actual (not a track-owned, questionably stocked) Ambulance is on the property at all times cars are on the track, and is quick to respond to incidents in seconds. The men on the Safety Crew are equipped with the proper safety equipment to respond to methanol fires and just about any kind of incident on the track. There is no delay for these guys having to pull the top of their firesuits on; they are dressed for the occasion. And they have actual real-world experience responding to automobile crashes, fires and other emergencies.
Not only does the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew have the experience to fight fires and perform rescue operations, they are quick to adapt new technology and new tools to assist them in their duties. Case in point, the foam fire extinguishers used on Brandon Spithaler’s car. That’s a newer formula that adds a fire retardant chemical to the surface it is sprayed on, to prevent reignition of the fire. Jim Richmond was very accommodating in providing us with some further information on the chemicals used at the track. Spithaler was sprayed with Firebull Flourine Free foam and Dry Chemical Extinguishers. The crew can also use aerosol cans for small oil fires.
When asked why the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew members put their safety at risk, Jim Richmond stated “We do this because we like working at Sharon Speedway and we like racing, we’ve made many friends over the years and some of us are watching 3rd generation drivers now, we also take care of emergencies in the stands and pretty much anywhere on the property.”. Richmond also explained the training exercise the crew goes through each year “Once a year, a few nearby Safety crews from nearby tracks get together and go over rescue techniques. But everyday is a training day, we go over the cars and talk to the drivers, seeing where their power shut off’s are, fuel shut off’s, look inside the cars to see how we would get drivers of different sizes out of cars, especially with the new guys coming on the crew”. “Our Promoter Dave Willoughby and owners Dave Blaney, Ryan Blaney and Will Thomas are great about getting what we need to keep the drivers safe”.
The work never stops as the types of incidents and dangers change with each incident, but the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew always evolves and reviews past incidents to learn. “We always talk about incidents to see what we could do better and differently for the next one. But this year, we’ve had a few incidents, and we will say everything went well. We had a few pro stocks run into each other, causing the carburetor to come off, spilling gas and caught fire again. With the foam and dry chemical extinguishers, the fire was out before the driver got out of the car. Having guys around the track on ATVs allows us to get to the scenes quicker. We have the trust of our drivers and families. During rollovers, we always have 2-3 guys standing by in case a fire would start, and the others getting or helping the drivers get out.”
One of my biggest questions for Richmond was how they assess a fire risk with Methanol, known to burn clearly and how the “invisible” flames can burn without any visual cues. “In the past, and in talking with the drivers, if they were patting themselves or throwing the belts off, fiberglass melting, burning, smoke, that was the sign of a fire. We are always looking for fire as we approach the car no matter what type of crash or division running” Richmond said.
Richmond wanted to thank Buds Towing and Recovery for their many years of towing at the track, and their expertise in removing cars from the track. Also, McGonigle Ambulance for their coverage at the track.
Next time you’re at Sharon Speedway be sure to stop and say hi to the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew, but do it before the cars hit the track or after the races, because these guys are 100% focused on what is going on around them once the cars hit the track.
A big thank you to Jim Richmond for answering so many questions and helping me learn more about how the Sharon Speedway Safety Crew does their job so well.
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