The 60’s and 70’s were indeed tragic, and regularly horrific decades in terms of driver deaths.
The thing I liked most about the racing back then was that you could actually see the drivers faces, see how hard they were working to drive the cars, and the drivers had real personalities.
Modern racing may be a lot safer, but with the drivers cocooned in their cars such that they are almost impossible to see, with relatively barely any emotion being shown when they do appear, the cars may as well be radio-controlled.
Their abilities and bravery are impressive, but I prefer Motorcycle racing simply because I can see the drivers properly. There’s a much more human element, rather than watching a 4-wheeled computer…