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Dale Earnhardt

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Earnhardt investigation still on schedule

By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
August 3, 2001
5:05 PM EDT (2105 GMT)

INDIANAPOLIS -- NASCAR is right on schedule in its investigation into the death of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, and expects to release its findings by the end of this month.

NASCAR vice president of corporate communications Jim Hunter told NASCAR.com Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the sanctioning body is in the final stages of the five-month investigation, stemming from Earnhardt’s last-lap accident in the season-opening Daytona 500 that claimed the celebrated driver’s life.

“There are some additional tests that are being done to bring it all to a conclusion," Hunter said, "and, as Mike Helton has continually said, sometime in August we’ll have the results and the announcement sometime from the middle to the end of August."

“So, as we’ve said many times, we didn’t want to speculate, but it has been one of the most comprehensive investigations, certainly that NASCAR has ever conducted. It’s been very thorough. A lot of really outstanding experts outside of the motorsports field have assisted us. So I look for us to be able to announce the findings on schedule, sometime from the middle of August to the end.”

Hunter went on to explain that during the investigation, several innovative safety ideas have been introduced, and that drivers are continuously updated with data stemming from the investigation.

“Well, I think safety has always been at the forefront ever since Bill France Sr. founded NASCAR,” Hunter said. “We’ve already implemented several things, such as holding updates, not necessarily on a month-by-month basis, but on a need be basis, to update the drivers and the owners and crew chiefs on everything we’ve learned from the investigation thus far.”

The last such meeting occurred here at Indianapolis during Winston Cup testing for this weekend’s Brickyard 400. During that session, NASCAR brought in Hubbard Gramling, a head and neck restraint expert from Germany, to explain the intricacies of the devices to the drivers.

Moreover, Hunter explained that NASCAR’s three manufacturers -- General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler -- are doing extensive work to create a safer environment in the driver compartment.

Dr. John Melvin, a Wayne State University professor and leading expert in head and neck restraints such as the HANS, Hutchens and Simpson devices, along with engineers from Cal Wells’ PPI Motorsports outfit are spearheading that effort.

“Specifically, we’re working in the areas of the driver’s compartment, or cocoon of the car,” Hunter said. “Within that cocoon, we’re working on seats. Cal Wells’ group, PPI, has a composite seat which is in the second generation of the prototype. It looks extremely promising.

“We’ve updated the teams on some of the factors that that seat brings into play that might be better going forward. I know the teams are seriously looking at that.

“Dr. John Melvin is probably the leading expert when it comes to the driver compartment. Dr. Melvin updated the guys on head and neck restraints and the various systems that are out there.

"The HANS is one, the Hutches is another, the Simpson is another and there are at least one or two more that competitors are looking at.”

Hunter said the major positive that has come out of this extensive investigation is the realization that a collaborative effort between the weekly warriors in the Winston Cup garage and outside experts is truly the best route to building safer cars. Along with the cocoon seat, soft walls are among those safety devices still under extensive study.

“We’ve always relied on a collaborative effort from the guys in the garage working on these cars every day,” Hunter said. “I think one of the very positive things that has come out of the investigation is No. 1, the manufacturers themselves are really stepping up to the plate and focusing on the energy management of the driver’s compartment and what materials we can use. There are tests that will be conducted to figure out whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“Soft walls technology, we’re continuing to look at that. We’re now over a year into that, and that’s still ongoing. (The Indy Racing League) started that and NASCAR joined with IRL to really take a good look at soft walls. That’s going to be an on-going process.

"There’s probably a lot of other things that have been learned from this investigation that will come out at the right time, but I think the biggest thing that is gonna show is the collaborative process of the talent in the NASCAR garage.

“When you combine that with experts beyond the garage, then you potentially have a much better chance to further improve every safety aspect of this sport, and that’s the bottom line for everyone.”