Simpson confident inquiry will clear company

By Mike Fish, CNNSI.com
March 2, 2001
1:23 PM EST (1823 GMT)

For Bill Simpson, whose company manufactured Dale Earnhardt's safety belts, the wait for vindication drags on until NASCAR wraps up its investigation of the fatal crash.

Simpson said officials told him the probe is likely to conclude within two weeks.

Among the experts who have evaluated the belts are representatives of Autoliv Inc., a Swedish company that is the world's leading suppler of automotive safety restraint systems. The company has 19 crash test tracks, including one at its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.

"I didn't know much about them before this, but I've checked around and they do an awful lot of belt testing," Simpson said.

Patrick Jarboe, marketing director for Autoliv, cited a confidentiality agreement in refusing to discuss what, if any, role the company has in the ongoing investigation.

NASCAR officials confirmed Autoliv made a preliminary inspection of the belts after the crash, while acknowledging its safety experts have since been asked to perform a more detailed analysis of the belts' role in the fatality.

According to Simpson, several prominent drivers and members of the Winston Cup fraternity have also seen the belts -- including Earnhardt's son, Dale. Jr., and representatives of his team at Richard Childress Racing.

After talking with those close to the investigation, Simpson remains confident his company will be held blameless, saying "I can tell you it has nothing to do with Simpson [Performance Products, Inc.]"

NASCAR attributed the sport's latest fatality to a broken left-side lap seat belt. In its defense, Simpson officials have suggested any failure of the five-strap belt is likely attributable to improper installation.

Earnhardt's team said the new belts were installed after last season.

The fallout, for now at least, is that the integrity of safety restraints will become a priority for inspectors. "I'm sure NASCAR inspection will watch for variance of seat belts and seats, and be more demanding for compliance in an area that is subjective," said Jack Roush, a prominent race team owner.