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As far as the human body is concerned, those 5g (or 6) peak loads seen for an instant in a corner pose no threat to the drivers per se. Prolonged amounts of time at even 4g can cause problems with dizziness/narrow vision/nausea/fatigue, though, as evidenced by the champ cars at the oval in Texas.
The real problem is the g loadings that occur when an race car hits something. The consequences of coming unglued in a corner often include contact with a barrier (or another car), and the higher the speed in the corner, the worse the consequences will be upon impact.
At any rate, physics tell us there is a HUGE difference between an impact at 140mph and 180mph. Without getting too technical, the kinetic energy of a car varies by the square of it's velocity... so the 40mph gap between a crash at 180 and 140 is much worse than the 40mph gap between 80 and 40 as far as the energy involved goes.
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