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Wells welcomed, slowly

Car owner Cal Wells wanted to bring safety innovations to NASCAR from CART. Now, his work is being accepted.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 12, 2002

DAYTONA BEACH -- From the infield at Daytona International Speedway, a NASCAR official reacted with astonishment to the spectacular sight of the space shuttle taking off from nearby Cape Canaveral.

"Dang that Cal Wells."

When Wells first came to Daytona as a car owner two years ago, many in NASCAR cursed the gadgets he brought with him from the high-tech world of CART. And, not knowing the difference, a few that weren't even his.

NASCAR didn't do technology.

"True story," said Wells, owner of PPI Motorsports and the No. 32 Ford. "We were at Daytona testing, and the space shuttle went off and a number of people, including a NASCAR official, thought it was a satellite we were sending up. I had to say to myself, "How do I work my way into this?' "

Shunned as an outsider, Wells slowly gained acceptance and now is blazing technological trails for stock cars with his commitment to safety.

NASCAR recently approved a PPI-designed driver's seat made of rigid carbon fiber. It is one of many safety innovations NASCAR adopted after the death of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Wells was glad to help.

"There's a legacy to our focus on safety," Wells said. "Our drivers are the most precious commodity we have and the people we hold closest to our heart beyond our family. I take personal pride that all the seat manufacturers looked at what we were doing and the performance criteria our seat meets, and that other seats made out of aluminum or other materials will get close to it. Whether it's our seat or anybody's seat, our athletes are going to be protected in an enhanced fashion to what they were in 2001."

Terms such as composite, boom antenna and foam-bead insert are more comfortably part of Wells' everyday vocabulary than wedge, loose and racin' deal. But with the help of Ricky Craven's win in October at Martinsville, Wells earned the respect of competitors who used to hold him at arm's length.

"When I came into NASCAR, I learned every which way I could to slip down a slippery slope," said Wells, 46, who was successful in off-road and open-wheel racing. "It's amazing how much I didn't know when I came here. It wasn't that I was so arrogant I thought I knew everything. I had some self confidence, but did not think we were the CART guys who were going to come dominate Winston Cup. ... Hopefully over time I'll be able to earn respect throughout the industry."

Wells' dedication to safety stems from tragedy. At a CART race in Toronto in July 1996, Wells watched in horror as the car he co-owned, driven by Jeff Krosnoff, collided with another and smashed into the catch fence. Krosnoff's car burst apart and the driver's compartment came to a rest against the concrete wall. Krosnoff and a course worker were killed.

"It took me several months to get to the point where I wasn't seeing him walking down pit lane anymore," Wells said of Krosnoff. "Most of my emotions are still in a box on a shelf somewhere and someday I'll open it up and deal with them. But I don't want to do it again."

When Wells' team went NASCAR racing, he brought equipment he used for years in CART, such as a carbon-fiber driver's seat. NASCAR officials told him he could not use it.

When Earnhardt died, safety efforts in stock car racing accelerated, and Wells was eager to contribute. Wells partly funded the $200,000 composite seat project, a personal triumph for the soft-spoken owner. The seat, lined with energy-absorbent bead foam inserts, forms a cocoon for the driver, protecting him during impacts from all sides.

"It's 100 percent Cal Wells," said Craven, considered damaged goods because of a series of head injuries until Wells took a chance on him in 2001.

"He sold some of his wife's jewelry or his stock to pay for that project. Six or nine months ago, people weren't necessarily volunteering to contribute to it. He spent money in an area that doesn't correlate with speed. You've got to commend him for that."

Accused of stealing longtime sponsors Tide and McDonald's from popular owner-drivers Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott, respectively, when he arrived -- another point of contention among NASCAR purists -- Wells spent many sleepless nights wondering if he made the right move. But he remained determined.

"When scrutiny was coming at the beginning, he knew he had to stay focused on what he thought was right," said younger brother David Wells, an executive at PPI. "Anything to be fast and not dangerous; he's always stayed the course. Now, we have had a lot of other teams that we've made friends with who have said, "Okay, we need to learn from you.' It's very rewarding."

Cal Wells holds no grudges.

"There are some very smart people in NASCAR once you expose them to the opportunity for growth and safety," he said. "It's not that they're not for it or they don't want to be held accountable for implementing rules such as helmets or seats or the head and neck supports."

"It's just a matter of growth and learning."

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