Jeff Alan's
NASCAR RACING COMMENTARY
NASCAR Racing Commentary, Observations and Humor from Jeff Alan, Founder of the former AD NASCAR Family Community on America Online
NASCAR: Spin Before Millions
On August 21, the long-awaited report on the investigation into the death of Dale Earnhardt was delivered by a panel of independent experts and analysts. It was the culmination of months of research and testing, and, according to NASCAR, an expenditure of millions of dollars.
In the end, NASCAR should have just saved it's money.
Mike Helton, NASCAR's "big man," started the conference, which was held in Atlanta. Right off the bat, he made it clear that NASCAR would not mandate the use of the HANS device, although he did say that NASCAR would continue to strongly recommend the use of that, and other safety restraint systems.
Let's look at this carefully. NASCAR maintains that they will recommend, not mandate, the use of HANS and other neck-head restraint systems.
What else would you expect from NASCAR?
Helton, in a carefully prepared speech, outlined some changes that NASCAR would make during the upcoming season. Crash Data Recorders will be installed next year in all cars. NASCAR will hire a full-time Safety Director, and a Medical Liaison whom will travel with the circuit and administer medical records of the drivers, and coordinate Emergency Services.
Things that IRL and CART have been doing for years.
NASCAR did not announce, nor state that they would put specially trained rescue and trauma teams at each event, such as what IRL and CART does today.
What else would you expect from NASCAR?
But when Dr. James Raddin, a crash expert and former U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon, took to the stage, shock waves ran through the auditorium. As Raddin described the mechanics of the seatbelt installation, it became very clear that partial blame for Earnhardt's massive injuries rested upon the improper installation and modifications to Earnhardt's seat-belt restraint system. In a nutshell, the modified system inadequately restrained Earnhardt's body ---- allowing it to impact with the steering wheel, and causing Earnhardt's neck to violently whip.
This was, in my opinion, the biggest bombshell that was dropped during the conference. If you think of it, Dr. Raddin came right out and said that Dale Earnhardt's belts and restraints were not mounted to their specified and recommended locations. Someone at RCR made the decision to change those locations, and someone (maybe Earnhardt himself?) had to approve it. He stopped short of saying that this modified installation contributed to his death. Nor did he, or any of the others, state that the broken seat belt may have been caused by the modified installation.
No comment came from RCR.
Look for NASCAR-mandated changes to the installation and inspection of restraint systems.
The Press Conference was macabre. Photographs were liberally used. Almost all the interior shots showed spattered blood.
Earnhardt's blood.
Later in the conference, Raddin then described Earnhardt's injuries. Using illustrations and models, we were treated to something that was totally unnecessary. We know Dale was severely injured. We didn't need a rerun of that. Neither did Dale Earnhardt's children.
Both Kelly and Kerry were in the audience. My heart wept for them.
Interior shots of the car were truly stunning. It captured the extreme violence that accompanied the crash; the deformed steering wheel and seat, the battered helmet. Unless you picked up a few smut-rags at the local grocery store, a lot of us had never seen these photographs. Most were ---- thankfully ---- in black and white, which somewhat masked the spattered blood. After seeing those images, I cannot possibly imagine anyone wanting to view those autopsy photographs.
The next speaker, an engineering professor named Dean Sicking, didn't offer anything that the average layman didn't already know. Using computer models and simulation, we learned that Earnhardt's car ---- drum roll here ---- hit the wall hard.
Well DUH !!!!!!!!!!!
The best part of the conference ---- the part not shown after the networks who carried it went back to their regular programming, was when members of the media blasted the panel, including Mike Helton, with questions as hard as Earnhardt's impact.
Mike Helton, who was being grilled like a rack of ribs, steadfastly refused to point fingers or accept partial blame for Dale's death. When asked if NASCAR would implement a driver safety committee, Helton said, quoting here "There already is one. Forty two drivers every Sunday."
Essentially, that was a big NO.
What else would you expect from NASCAR?
Still, during the session after the presentation, the word "Mandate" was never used when talking about future safety enhancements by either Helton himself, or the panel of experts. Even those folks --- who were obviously and carefully coached by NASCAR spin doctors (and attorneys) --- were told not to use the words "require" or "mandate."
Sadly, NASCAR comes out of this smelling like cheap aftershave. They still refuse, for legal reasons, to mandate the HANS and other driver restraint systems --- a tragedy and travesty unto itself, and they failed to apologize to Bill Simpson, who was vindicated by the panels findings.
Simpson's belts and restraints were not installed according to Simpson's recommended instructions.
Closer to home, the investigation into the Earnhardt crash, and it's aftermath, is certain to be on the minds of every local, Saturday-night racer. You can almost bet that track owners and sanctioning bodies will be reviewing their inspection protocols. By the time this article hits the newsstands, inspectors at your local short tracks will probably be inspecting your seat belt and restraint systems to ensure that they are mounted properly, and in good condition.
And that's a good thing.
Will those same tracks also mandate additional protective and restraint devices? Will they do what NASCAR should have done? Most likely, the answer is No. Local short track racers are already running on shoestring budgets. And while there is a valid argument that you cannot put a price on safety, the speeds at those local short tracks should not be so great as to force weekend racers to spend a weeks' pay for a HANS device. Late Model and Modified cars, typically the fastest machines on the track, may well consider such a purchase. But with every dollar being spent on horsepower, it may not be high on the ladder in the list of expenses.
To be sure, the "investigation" into Dale Earnhardt's death didn't lead to closure or solid conclusions. Instead, it only presented the facts as they related to the accident. They didn't pin-point a cause for Dale's death. They didn't invoke any additional safety mandates. In it's simplest form, it told us that Dale Earnhardt died when he hit the wall at 160 mph. Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, in the end, Dale Earnhardt is still in heaven. Nothing can bring him back. And because of NASCAR' arrogance, more may join him because NASCAR still refuses to mandate additional safety and restraint devices. He can never be remembered as a Martyr for the cause of safety.
Unfortunately, as one reporter from the Washington Post intimated, there did not appear to be a conclusion to this multimillion dollar investigation ------ only facts related to the accident that killed Dale Earnhardt, Sr.
What else would you expect from NASCAR?
See YOU at the Top!
Jeff Alan
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