NASCAR: It's Safety First

NASCAR is probably the safest sport on the planet these days, and that says a lot for a sport where death was an annual event for years.

Friday Hassler, Kenny Irwin Jr., Bruce Jacobi, Tiny Lund, John Nemechek, Adam Petty, Fireball Roberts, and, of course, the legendary Dale Earnhardt. These are just a few of the stock car drivers who died either during practice or in the middle of one of the big three NASCAR races (the Cup, the secondary league now called Nationwide series, and the truck series). They are not the only ones. Car crashes at high speeds caused all kinds of mortal blows, be it car to car, or car to wall.

It was Earnhardt's death on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 that was the defining moment for the powers that be at NASCAR. While motions and beginnings had been in working stages, it wasn't until then that they really took charge. Had they done so sooner, Earnhardt may still be alive. It's difficult to make a statement like that, but the driver was old school, and he was one stubborn man. He had the option to wear the new Hans Device, the helmet that is now mandatory and has been since that crash, but he refused. It claimed the bulky head gear got in his way, and NASCAR didn't interfere.

The Hans Device is a head and neck support that is secured to the body of the driver and not the seat. It keeps the head from whipping forward, greatly lessening the chance of a basilar skull fracture or other injury. If a crash occurs, the Hans Device helps the head to stay in the same relative position as the body. In doing so, other parts of the body that are stronger and more capable, like the chest, torso, and shoulders take the brunt of the impact.

Many lives have been saved with the Hans Device, but it's only one part of the reason NASCAR is now so safe. Another are the SAFER barriers, the cushioned walls that now run around every NASCAR track and which now is in the process of also being on the inside walls as well.

Three years ago, four time champion Jeff Gordon had a scary accident where his car careened into the outer wall at Pocono. It registered as one of the highest forced hits ever. The hit was almost head on, only slightly to the driver's side. He surprised all by getting out of the car, walking around to the other side and beginning to examine his wrecked 24 car. It was almost humorous. He admitted later that he really didn't know what he was doing or why. That was a tremendous hit that probably would have killed him, or left him in an unthinkable state had it not been for the SAFER barrier.

Last year, Gordon had another horrific crash, this time his car spun and he went head first into the inside wall, over by where the safety vehicles are kept at the Las Vegas track. It stunned everyone. This time when Jeff got out, he was angry. He was lucky, again, that he was alive. His body ached, but the Hans Device and the car had saved him. However, when interviewed he blasted the track owner and NASCAR for not having the safer barrier mandatory for all tracks, anywhere where a car could careen into it.

Gordon got immediate action. Tracks all over the country began plans to have the safer barriers installed, and when NASCAR returned to Vegas in 2009, that track, too, had the SAFER barrier in place.

Just what is this SAFER barrier? It's a marvel and a life saver, just like the Hans Device. The official name is the steel and foam energy reduction barrier, sometimes referred to as a soft wall. Just like the Hans Device redirects the energy from the head to other parts of the body, the SAFER barrier absorbs part of the energy that occurs when a race car hits it. The energy actually dissipates through the length of the wall. It not only helps stop the car and keeps it from becoming even more destroyed than the actual hit would cause, but it allows drivers to walk away, virtually unharmed.

The SAFER barrier is constructed of structural steel tubes that are welded together. Between this barrier and the concrete wall that drivers used to come in contact with are bundles of closed-cell polystyrene foam,

These two safety features, the Hans Device and the safer barrier, have saved more lives than I can count. Drivers walk away with the wind knocked out of them, or a headache, or a bruise, but they walk away. They escape head trauma, broken necks, and death.

There is more, though. NASCAR now requires the use of the COT, once called the Car of Tomorrow, which is a more uniformed template for the stock cars and which are designed with driver safety in mind. Some of the ways the COT keeps the drivers safe include:

-The driver's seat has been moved over to the right a good four inches, giving more room for their arms and also keeping their bodies further away from the results of an impact to the door.

-The COT is bigger in height and width (two inches taller and four inches wider), something that makes taller athletes like Michael Waltrip happy. The drivers now have more room to maneuver and to escape their cars, should an impact occur.

-The fuel cell is stronger and has a smaller capacity, meaning less gas to cause problems in a crash.

- The front bumper is shaped more like a box, which means it catches more air which in turn slows the car.

Many other features of the COT redirect and prevent sources of potential overheating and improve the overall handling of the car.

NASCAR is a believer in safety. While they always were fighting for better ways of running races, they just weren't as forceful with the rules and regulations until Earnhardt's tragic death in 2001. It no longer hesitates to mandate safety items if it sees fit. Some drivers and teams have additional protection. Gordon and his fellow Hendrick Motor Sports teammates have a specialized seat that gives them added protection, and some drivers have improved fire suits as well. There are even other types of helmets and equipment that further protect their heads, necks, and legs. Safety is everyone's concern.

NASCAR has come a long way, and it's visible almost weekly, whenever a car makes contact with another car or the wall. Now the drivers can just complain about the person who hit them instead of sending condolences. That's what safety is all about, and it's what has made NASCAR the safest sport on the planet.