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A Nose In, A Nose Out


Around the track, and the NAPA 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway.




Around the Track…………

Dale Jr. in Full Face Helmet

Dale Earnhardt Sr. had a thing about full face helmets. He felt that they were really unsafe. His biggest concern with them was the way the bottom front hit the chest during a frontal collision. Dale felt that this was one of the factors involved in the cause of brain stem injuries. He contended that when the front of the full face helmet hit the chest, it could not go any further, thus causing stretching at the back of the neck resulting in a pulled brain stem. He pretty much forbade Dale Jr. to wear one. In his own way, he was looking out for his son’s safety.

Now that the drivers have been mandated by NASCAR to wear the head and neck safety restraints, Dale Sr.’s concerns are no longer valid. The safety restraints will not let the helmet move forward and down to hit the driver’s chest.

Enter NASCAR Winston Cup director Gary Nelson to the scene. He walked up to Dale Jr. a couple of weeks ago and asked him what it would take to get him to wear a full face helmet. Junior was unsure of what he should do, so he discussed the situation with Teresa Earnhardt, and crew chief Tony Eury. They both gave their blessing to his wearing of the full face helmet.

Last week at Homestead, Dale Jr. wore the full face helmet for the first time in Winston Cup, and he liked it. It appears that he will be wearing it now full time. There are only three regular drivers now who still wear the old style open face helmet; Jimmy Spencer, Ron Hornaday Jr., and the retiring Dave Marcus. You can rest assured that NASCAR will be working on Spencer and Hornaday to get them to wear the safer full face helmet.

Pit Road Safety

Last week’s pit road accident has aroused a whole slew of concerns about safety in the pit area during routine pit stops. Speculation abounds that NASCAR will either mandate or strongly recommend pit crewmen to wear helmets for the 2002 season.

Robert Yates Racing, owner of the No. 88 UPS team, and the No. 28 Havoline team which suffered injuries last week in the pit road accident, has mandated his two teams to wear helmets while working in the pit area. Nike donated 50 hockey helmets to the DEI teams for their use during pit stops. A spokesman for DEI said that wearing the helmets will not be mandatory, but that they are there for any of the crew members who may be concerned with their safety.
The copyright of the article A Nose In, A Nose Out in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish A Nose In, A Nose Out in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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