It was a brave, valiant, but ultimately tragic effort to get the whale to safety.

I am very concerned for the safety of this animal at the moment, particularly if boat traffic increases in the river.

It was already dehydrated, hadn't been feeding and being out of the water would have, in effect, shriveled the animal's internal organs. It was essential to try to take the whale out to sea on the barge, but there was always the risk this would happen.

There was always the risk this would happen.

Safety is the No. 1 issue for us. That's something that's come to the forefront, something that the drivers really want to work on. We want to make this sport as safe as we can, and NASCAR is working hand-in-hand with us to make sure we have that.

The safety issues involved in transplantation studies are really going to require a significant amount of effort.