And it’s because of Eric Medlen.

Eric’s teammate, Robert Hight, wins the Funny Car title with a weak 5.126-second run because a blower belt slipped off the engine of Ron Capps, who has won 11 straight rounds of eliminations.

Eric’s best friend Brandon Bernstein had one of his most consistent weekends to win the Top Fuel title.

Each gave their trophy to a member of Eric’s family.

If divine intervention, fairy tales, or fate isn’t on your list of beliefs, then it’s time to think about reconsidering your position. The SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend was one of the most memorable events in the sport’s history.

And it’s because of Eric Medlen.

Eric’s teammate, Robert Hight, wins the Funny Car title with a weak 5.126-second run because a blower belt slipped off the engine of Ron Capps, who has won 11 straight rounds of eliminations.

Eric’s best friend Brandon Bernstein had one of his most consistent weekends to win the Top Fuel title.

Each gave their trophy to a member of Eric’s family.

A NHRA-produced video played with audio provided by Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” tugging at every heart. It’s slated to play before each national event, which the fans deserve to see, but it might be too much for Eric’s family, teammates and friends to endure.

NHRA needs to revisit it if it wants to salute a fallen driver for the entire season. Motorsports is a dangerous business. While it would be grand to say Eric will be the last driver to die at the wheel, that’s very improbable. But if John Force and John Medlen, Eric’s dad, have anything to say about it, Eric will be known for eternity as the last to lose a life in the sport he loved.

What I’ve dubbed as the “Medlen Project” has progressed further than believed possible three weeks ago. While Force and Medlen were mourning and trying to comfort each other, they began investigating what caused the violent shaking that resulted in Eric’s fatal brain injury.

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It was the type of post-crash investigation that should have been done after fatal accidents that killed Blaine Johnson and Darrell Russell.

This situation is different because Medlen was like a son to Force, and two of Force’s remaining professional drivers are his daughter and son-in-law. His daughters Courtney and Brittany race Super Comp dragsters, which already have had changes made to the roll cages of their Victory-built rails. And a really close second to making it safer for his blood family is making it safer for his racing family.

Skipping the NHRA event near Houston two weeks ago allowed Medlen and Force to consult with top experts, who helped them produce a safer Funny Car that ran at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. They focused on the area around the head and the considerable more padding and added restraints on the R3 device dampened side-to-side movement of the helmet.

But that’s just the start for Force and Medlen.

They want to make what Force calls an already safe car something even better for the next decade. This should be the type of research and development done by NHRA, but at least the sanctioning body is supporting - and at some level – assisting the effort.

Little things can be done at minimal costs immediately.

All tools should carry a reflective marking should one be left in a racecar and fall onto the track. Just this past weekend, Force’s crew left a foot-long flashlight that fell onto the track on Friday. Then Saturday night, a screwdriver was propelled from the track by a tire. It went through the windshield of the Ford Expedition tow vehicle Austin Coil was driving to tow Force’s car back down the return road.

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A bit of reflective tape or paint would have made it easier for these tools to be spotted. After all, Goodyear claims Medlen’s right-rear slick was punctured, which lead to the tragic accident.

Some safety improvements are simple, like having more folks walk parts of the track on every run looking for tools and other debris.

Force is attacking the safety issue like he did a championship. He admits that he had been guilty of cutting corners with some safety improvements because it added weight to his car or just made him less comfortable. He says the wider roll cage and added padding put between 30 and 40 pounds on his car, but doesn’t use that as an excuse for not qualifying for Sunday’s show for the first time in 395 events and 20 years. The same weight was added to the cars of Hight, the event champion, and Ashley, who qualified No. 3.

Expect more innovations from Force as he and Medlen devote as much or more time to make their cars safer as they will to make them faster.

The Professional Racer Owners Organization also is being kept in the loop by the Force group.

Another advancement in safety started Monday with a post-race testing session at Las Vegas, which always has been at the forefront of providing top rescue and track personnel whenever cars run.

But Chris Blair, LVMS vice president of racing operations, took testing to a new level when he first said there would be no more testing at his track.

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That led to an invitation from PRO to address the issues, and what resulted was formation of a group of crew chiefs that would meet on the morning of testing at Las Vegas to review safety elements in place and agree how the track should be prepared.

No one provided a better suggestion after Medlen’s death than Warren Johnson.

“I know everyone agrees that losing even one life is totally unacceptable,” the 36-year racing veteran said. “I suggest that we handle this accident, as well as any on-track incident, much like the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) approaches a plane crash.”

Johnson explained, “Reconstruct the event, examining every detail no matter how minute, bringing in whatever experts are needed. Every element involved that day needs to be considered, from the weather and race track to the car, its driver and the safety equipment, painstakingly inspecting each piece individually and together, until we find out exactly what happened. 

“We may end up realizing that there was nothing we could have done better, or we could learn something new that will help in the future. The information gathered is important to preserving the safety of those involved. Doing that, while continuing to try our very best on the track this weekend, is the only way to truly honor the memory of a great kid taken from us way too soon.”

Let’s not rely on PRO or even NHRA to make certain Johnson’s suggestion is heeded. While NHRA has been supportive of Force’s proactive role in building a better, safer Funny Car, the best move would be the formation of an independent council called the “Medlen Project for Drag Racing Safety Foundation.”

NHRA and PRO each could have a member on the panel, but no larger voting role than any other.

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My initial nominees to serve on the panel are: John Medlen, Johnson, engineer and innovator Jim Head, biomechanics and race safety expert Dr. John Melvin, and safety pioneer Bill Simpson. Active pro drivers – not owners – could vote for a chassis builder from each pro category.

The chairman should be Carl Olson, a former Top Fuel driver and NHRA executive who is the working motor sports manager for the SFI Foundation, which is non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for specialty and performance automotive and racing equipment.