Competitors voice support for NASCAR mandate
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
October 17, 2001
7:00 PM EDT (2300 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- An informal poll of NASCAR competitors revealed nearly unanimous support for NASCAR’s Wednesday mandate of the use of one of two head and neck restraints prior to making a lap in any event for its three national touring divisions.
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Tony Stewart
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Not surprisingly, Tony Stewart’s was the only dissenting voice.
The ruling was issued two days before the opening of practice for Sunday’s Winston Cup EA Sports 500 presented by Dodge at Talladega Superspeedway. It will also affect the following weekend’s races for the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series at Phoenix International Raceway.
NASCAR officials said the timing of the announcement had much less to do with the race at the 2.66-mile Talladega oval and more with the competitors’ comfort level with the HANS device, manufactured by Hubbard/Downing, Inc. and the Hutchens device, built by Mattec Corporation.
“NASCAR has worked closely with safety experts, drivers and manufacturers to address issues that led some drivers to feel that these devices might make them less safe,” said NASCAR senior vice president George Pyne, indicating that a vast majority of drivers in the three divisions already used one or both of the restraints. “NASCAR's decision making drivers' side windows wider and our educational seminars for drivers have created greater comfort with using these devices.”
In fact, at the last two Winston Cup superspeedway races, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, NASCAR officials said only one driver, 2000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Stewart, had not worn a device.
Three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon interrupted a test at Homestead-Miami Speedway to participate in a conference call with NASCAR officials and safety experts updating the media on various NASCAR safety initiatives, of which the latest rule was just one aspect.
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Jeff Gordon
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“Originally when I was asked that question, several months ago it wasn’t the right time to mandate something like the HANS or the Hutchens,” said Gordon, who indicated he would have questioned an earlier mandate of a restraint device but now would not race without one. “Just as it took me time to get comfortable wearing the device, and to see the results of tests, like the sled testing that we did and through testing with Delphi and other companies we work with -- I think it is time.”
Other drivers fell in step independent of Gordon, who uses the HANS device, though Jeff Burton, another leading safety proponent, felt it was unfortunate it took a rule to make the usage happen.
“I really wish that NASCAR didn't have to do something like this where they had to mandate drivers to wear a safety device,” said Burton, who drives the No. 99 CITGO Supergard Ford. “People should take the initiative to try and make it safer for themselves, and I hate that we've had to come to this where NASCAR has to make it mandatory.”
“It’s fine with me,” said No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford driver Mike Wallace, who uses the Hutchens device, which was devised by Richard Childress Racing general manager Bobby Hutchens, himself a former NASCAR Modified driver and the manager of Mattec.
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Mike Wallace
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“It’s something that should have done. If you’re not smart enough to have gotten a head and neck restraint system by now, then you’ve pretty much forced the sanctioning body into doing it for you. I’m glad. We have too many drivers dying. We need to do something about it and by mandating these, NASCAR is trying to solve the problem.”
To many in the industry, the last straw was the death Oct. 4 of part-time ARCA RE/MAX Series and Busch Series driver Blaise Alexander, from head injuries. Alexander wore no head and neck restraint device.
“I would have to say, yes, it’s a good thing,” said Joe Nemechek, driver of the No. 33 Winston Cup Oakwood Homes Chevrolet, who now favors the HANS. Nemechek missed a number of races earlier this season after suffering injuries in a crash at Dover Downs International Speedway of his own Busch Series car.
“If everyone wears a head-neck restraint it is definitely going to cut down on injuries,” he said. “Nobody knows if it would have helped Blaise in Charlotte but for me, in my wreck, I know that if I had it on, it would have helped me.”
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Joe Nemechek
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Dr. John Melvin, a biomechanics expert from Wayne State University in Detroit who is acknowledged as a leader in the field, said there was little to offer in effectiveness between the two devices. Some drivers, such as Steve Park and Kevin Lepage, who compete in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series, have used both this season.
“I feel both the HANS and Hutchens devices are very good,” Nemechek said. “The main reason I wear the HANS is just because I’ve worn it more, so I feel more comfortable in it. But both work really well.”
“There are pros and cons to the Hutchens and HANS,” Wallace said. “Each device does something. For me personally, I can’t get comfortable with the HANS. Maybe if you take the time to get everything fitted, you can get comfortable with it. The Hutchens device just wraps a little differently. It’s more adjustable and not as confining.”
“I’m really glad they are willing to do something like this, and it’s something they should have done,” said Lepage, who is finishing the season as the driver of the No. 7 Winston Cup NationsRent Ford while also fielding his own Busch Series team. “Obviously, there are at least two manufacturers out there right now with two capable head-neck restraints -- HANS and Hutchens.
“With those two companies out there, everybody who is a race car driver ought to have something. I’m really glad NASCAR stepped up to the plate. I use both and will probably continue to use both. It’s just my own personal preference. I’ve used both since both devices came out. Which I use where just depends on where I’m racing.”
The automobile manufacturers, particularly Ford and General Motors, have stepped up with NASCAR to take a lead role in the safety issue.
“I think it's tremendous that NASCAR has taken this step,” Ford Racing Advanced Technology chief engineer John Valentine said. “Ford has supported the use of head and neck restraints, particularly the HANS device, very strongly over the past year, including offering to purchase one for each of our drivers.
“We are very pleased to see that NASCAR has implemented mandatory use of these very valuable safety devices. We fully support NASCAR’s safety initiatives and are continuing to work with them on other safety issues, such as six-point seat belt harnesses, proper installation of seat belts, stronger seats and the addition of impact sensor boxes to the NASCAR program.”
"I applaud NASCAR in their decision,” Hutchens said. “I feel it's a step in the right direction to help with the overall safety program that we've worked so hard on over the last year or so. Everyone involved has bent over backward to try to do the best they can.
“However, I think everybody needs to remember that it's going to take more than just a head and neck restraint system to solve the overall safety issue. It's going to take a stronger seat, stronger headrests, better padding, a better belt system and better helmets. Everything in the cockpit around the driver has to be improved so we can feel our guys are safe when they leave pit road."
“My only concern with making certain restraints mandatory is the fear that we lose the ability for improvement,” Burton said. “If certain restraints are made mandatory, then that deters other companies out there from trying to make it better and safer. Again, I applaud NASCAR for making this decision, but I wish every driver out there would have already taken the initiative to do it on their own."
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