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Driver Who Hit Race Crowd Tried to Stop, Uncle Says
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"I think what this tragedy does is expose the extent of it. We know about the young people engaged in drag racing. There's also this cult that follows the activity," Townsend said. "It's more widespread than we thought. It's a bigger problem than we thought, and it has a bigger fan base than we thought."
Townsend noted that all of the victims who died were adults; the oldest was 61.
"This is ingrained in the culture. You're not going to stamp it out," Townsend said. "What you can do is create alternatives. You have to bring it out of the dark into a more-controlled environment."
Townsend said that at least one group, the Maryland Street Racing Association, is advocating moving such races off public roads and onto racetracks.
"I think this is a wake-up call, not only for the community in Southern Maryland, but for the police department," Townsend said. "I think you're going to see increased enforcement."
At the scene of the crash, mourners left flowers, notes and stuffed animals at the locations where victims landed. Each spot had been outlined by police with a pink spray-painted circle. On Courtney's spot, someone left a toy model of a gray Saturn Ion and a note that read: "You may be gone but you'll never be forgotten."
Remnants of the race gathering -- including an empty bottle of Remy Martin cognac and a small bottle of Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy -- lay amid the tributes. Also visible were pieces of its aftermath, including paramedics' gloves and shattered glass.
Staff writers Philip Rucker and Avis Thomas-Lester contributed to this report.
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