LOUDON, N.H. -- Returning to New Hampshire International Speedway for the CVS Pharmacy 200, one can't help but look toward Turn 3 and picture the wrecked cars of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin. Saturday's Busch race marks the one-year anniversary of Petty's death -- a tragedy which seems more surreal considering what has taken place since.

Two more NASCAR on-track deaths, including that of a racing legend. A secretive investigation -- or lack thereof -- mired in controversy over a seat belt. The alienation of the industry's leader in safety. Threats of lawsuits.

	Kenny Irwin, left, and Adam Petty, right, are on everybody's minds at New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend.

NASCAR officials continue to keep it close to the vest in terms of sharing information, but they aren't the only ones on edge.

A few heads turned in the media center when Scott Wimmer crashed during Busch practice Friday, even though it was a minor accident. And when TV monitors showed a helicopter hovering over the speedway, it was difficult not to do a double take, imagining a driver being airlifted to a hospital.

The camera-equipped chopper was simply testing the angles and shots.

Reporters could be overheard commenting that the weekend events -- Busch North and Grand National practices, qualifying and races -- will be better attended by media than by fans. Is it a morbid curiosity?

Nobody expects a serious accident. Nobody wants to see one -- not NASCAR, not the fans, not the media.

And even on this warm and clear New England day, the possibility of tragedy looms over this track and this sport.

Pole winner Kevin Harvick, who took Dale Earnhardt's spot on Richard Childress' Winston Cup team after Earnhardt was killed at Daytona, admitted that last year's tragedy was on his mind.

"That's the first thing I thought about when we were going to New Hampshire," said Harvick. "I think I heard Richard Petty say it: 'This is what we do for a living, and we have to do the best we can each weekend and go out and do the things we know how and love to do.' "It's in the back of your mind, but you have to go out and do your job and do it to the best of your ability, and that's what we've done."

Despite a perceived lack of progress on the safety front, Steve Park said things have changed at Loudon.

"I'd like to applaud (track owners) Bob and Gary Bahre for what they've done to the race track," said Park, who will start third on Saturday. "They've ground the bump down in Turn 3 and this is about the smoothest I can remember this place since they first paved it.

	“	I miss him in everyday life, but I really miss seeing him race in that No. 45 car.”
		—Jeff Green

"There's a lot of traction out there and I think the race track is in tremendous shape. I know a lot of hard work goes into that, so I want to thank them for that."

Years from now, when dozens more races have been run, New Hampshire International Speedway still will be remembered as the place where Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin lost their lives in a pocket of time which could be described as NASCAR's darkest days. Right now it's hard to shake that feeling.

"I'll definitely think about Adam this weekend, but as drivers, we can't let what happened affect us, because we have a job to do," said defending series champ Jeff Green, who qualified second on Friday. "I think Adam would not want us to look back at that day and remember it negatively, but rather (remember) the great things that made him so special."

This weekend also marks an early step in a healing process for not only the Pettys, but also the Irwins, Ropers and Earnhardts. For while those families are forever tied by tragedy, with each lap completed and each lengthy green-flag run -- with each day that passes separating now from then -- those families still will be linked by their resilience and by their commitment to remember, but also to move on.

Said Green, "Even though he was 15 years younger than me, I looked up to him. I know I'll never forget what a special person he was and that great smile of his. He was the only person I've ever met that truly lit up a room when he entered it.

"I miss him in everyday life, but I really miss seeing him race in that No. 45 car."