The Buzz: Sept. 8, 2001

September 8, 2001
10:46 PM EDT (0246 GMT)

NASCAR’s commissioned investigation into head and neck restraint systems, announced during the release of the Dale Earnhardt investigation results, is slated to get under way in the coming week, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications Jim Hunter told The Buzz Saturday.

Robby Gordon

Drs. Dean Sicking and James Raddin, the spearheads of the Earnhardt investigation, will conduct the investigation alongside Dr. John Melvin, a world-renowned restraint expert.

“I think they’re going to start this coming week, and they’re going to decide exactly what all they want to look at and sort of establish some criteria for what they’re going to look at in all the restraint systems,” Hunter said. “It will probably take some time, but as soon as we know something regarding that, we’ll let the teams know first, then the media and everyone else.”

Hunter also said in NASCAR’s eyes, the feud with seat belt manufacturer Bill Simpson is over.

“As far as we’re concerned, it’s over,” Hunter said. “We’ve got to more forward. There is no doubt that everybody in this sport is focused more now on safety than they ever have been and we’ve got to take advantage of that. And if there are any improvements to be made, we need to make them.

“I think everybody’s looking on down the road now. The Earnhardt Investigation is over. We learned a lot from it, now we must take what we learned and make it better.”

Helton absent

Mike Helton

NASCAR President Mike Helton was noticeably absent from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night.

Helton, who hasn’t missed a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in years, was in Montgomery, Ala., attending the wedding of his stepson, Rich Murphy.