Dale Opinion

[BCFAST]

Last July I was involved in a serious racing accident. Similarly to Dale's crash, my right front was flattened against the metal guardrail; my speed at impact was between 90-100mph. Contrary to television comments, Mr. Earnhardt's impact speed was more like 155-160mph... I guess this because, as I understand it, straight speeds are 190-193 in a draft, and banking speeds are around 170-175 in a draft. He scrubbed plenty from both going sideways and sliding uphill.
I do not weep for Mr. Earnhardt. I feel for the family and friends he left behind. For the sake of his 't-shirt image' as the 'Intimidator', Dale made the conscious CHOICE to not use a full-faced helmet or neck collar. Mr. Stewart survied because he used a collar. My life was also saved because I chose to use the optional $35 foam neck collar. I suffered a slight concussion, buises and lots of soreness... but in the opinion of the attending safety personell, that little horse collar saved me from being either Christopher Reeves, or dead.
I also feel that if it had been Mark Martin who was the legend that died,Earnhardt would still shun the modern safety features in the interrest of image. As most of you know, Jr. and Sr. recently drove in the Daytona 24 Hour race. The road racers were aghast at the lack of safety equipment these guys had... . and the boys were amazed at the 'new-fangled' stuff they'd never seen!NASCAR is still operating in 1971, and has done its participants a huge dis-service for 25 years, while the rest of the racing world has evolved. We can only hope that the blinders will be taken off and the group joins the 21st Century.

 

[Lil' Dog]

How does the HANS save him in frontal collision? From what I have seen its good for whiplash and lateral not fore collision. Also in Nascar, you have to get out in a fire, I would hate to see a guy stuck under his HANS burned alive trying to get out.
Dale was grinder, but that is stock car racing. If you want polite passing, try open wheel, part of the skill is handling the car under unknown forces being it lost air or bumps. Tony's crash seemed more violent as Shraeder had T boned Dale into the wall slowing his impact. . Still don't get it... He was one of the best.

J-eh

 

[BCFAST]

I have now seen a HANS in person. It is mostly about front impact protection as the helmet is teathered from behind to near the shoulder-blade. Its object is to . . in the simplest terms... . keep your head on. It prevents the helmet from extending upwards/forwards. It also offers side-impact protection by way of a collar over the shoulders and under the bottom rim of the helmet (just like what Tony Stewart and I wore). The apparatus would absolutely NOT hinder your exit, or your looking in mirrors. . those that cite this are mearly looking for an excuse because it feels funny. Lots of drivers in various organizations dont wear a horse collar because it 'feels funny'. Me? I cant pull out of the paddock without it... I get that "what am I forgetting?" feeling. It has grown to be a normal part of being in a race car for me... and as of last July, I'm glad it is!!

 

[Lil' Dog]

I didn't see anything about the teather for the helmet, thanks for the info. .
I know the safety thing is always a hot topic, but its pretty much up to the driver I feel. They know the risks as much as a guy that doesn't wear his seatbelt in his RAM. Mandating seatbelts doesn't help, but thinking about not seeing your family, makes me strap it on every time.

J-eh

 

[Andy Perreault]

Having spent many times walking the staging lanes behind the starting line at Pomona Raceway (NHRA Winternationals & Winston Finals), I was always fascinated by how meticulous the drivers and crew were when it came to all the personal protection. First went on all the fireproof clothing, head sock, gloves, boots, horse collar, etc. I know many funny car drivers wear two pairs of Nomex gloves for added fire safety. I observed that when it comes to strapping the driver in the top fuelers and funny cars, one or two crew members assisted in pulling the belts super tight. Somewhat like the scene in "Apollo 13", where the astronauts were getting strapped into their seats by the support people. The whole process looked like it took a good ten minutes! The whole idea is to not let the body flop around at all. Since observing that, I've gotten into the habit of pulling my seatbelt extra tight when I encounter heavy traffic on the freeways, "just in case". I've often kicked around the idea of using a 4-point racing harness in my truck.
Andy

Just curious, BCFAST, what kind of racing do you do?

 

[BCFAST]

I drive an old Porsche 914/6 in a vintage race series. It is 270hp, 6 cylinder, mid-engined, 1880lbs and runs just over 165mph at Daytona... only about 25mph slower than the Cup cars, only we run the road circuit like the motorcycles and Rolex 24.
This being said, I have also watched drivers die. Once because of no horse collar, and once because the driver's seat broke loose from the floor. I may go cheap on spark plugs or something, but NEVER on safety equipment!

 

[Lil' Dog]

I think I have watched that type of racing on one of the sports networks. Looked pretty confusing with 3 or 4 classes on the same track, tricky passing with all the different strengths in each class. Some are fast on the straights, others cut the corners at pretty high speed.
Thanks again for the inside perspective BCFAST. #ad

J

 

[Ram4Sam]

For those who are interested, these two sites have alot of info and articles about Dale Earnhardt.
www.jayski.com
www.thatsracin.com

Sam

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2001. 5 2500 QC HO 6sp LB 3. 54LS everything except leather, white/agate 2wd,Isspro guauges on the A,ME kit,DD Tru torque module, Psychotty


Fordaholic-clean and Mopar'd since 10/05/00

[This message has been edited by Ram4Sam (edited 02-20-2001). ]

 

[HEMI®Dart]

BCFAST
Thanks for clearing up how he died. The media is still not really saying much.

Andy,
I agree too NHRA has great safety meaures for its drivers. Probably better than NASCAR has. I never did see the replay of Blaine Johnson's wreck in England a few years ago.



[This message has been edited by HEMI®Dart (edited 02-20-2001). ]

 

[Chad Sheets]

On one of the major networks this morning, they said the company that sells that HANS brace thing got over 30 orders from NASCAR drivers within 24 hours of the accident.

 

[R.E. Miller]

Yeah, once you start thinking about the NHRA and some of the accidents that happen there with survivors, it puts things in perspective. Did any of you guys see the wreck that John Force got in a year or two ago? That poor guy got knocked out and slammed into the wall at the end of the track without pulling his parashute (man I can't spell #ad
) He walked away after the rescue crews pulled him out of a sheetmetal-less enferno, then he laughed about how he didn't know what was going on #ad
. But that is John Force too. Some more food for thought.

 

[WOWZY]

Even Darryl Waltrip said on the raio that the HANS device would've made little difference since the brain floats around in the skull and the internal organs float around in the chest cavity and no device can restrain them in such an impact. This he said was explained to him by Dr. Bohannon.

 

[R.E. Miller]

This safety stuff is going to change rapidly, and exponentially. I feel like I am split 50/50 though. If I were racing, I would wear all the safety gear, but I still feel that if people don't feel they need it or don't want to wear it fine; understand the risk. This is how I feel about most safety gear for racing and work. There are too many lawyers and finger pointers, if you want to take a risk, welcome to America; prepare to deal with the whatever comes your way, no hard feelings. I am sad that a racing legend was lost, but that is also part of the game they play. RIP Dale.

 

[Ram4Sam]

A piece in our local paper said cause of death was a fractured skull from a blow to the back of the head, but did not mention any broken neck vertebrae. Also, fractured sternam, eight ribs on the left side and a broken ankle.

Godspeed Dale

Sam

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2001. 5 2500 QC HO 6sp LB 3. 54LS everything except leather, white/agate 2wd,Isspro guauges on the A,ME kit,DD Tru torque module, Psychotty


Fordaholic-clean and Mopar'd since 10/05/00

 

[BCFAST]

A 'basal skull fracture' is what killed Mr. Earnhardt. The other internal injuries were fixable, especially in the short time from track to O. R... a surgeon race-buddy of mine explained basal skull fracture at the track following my shunt: The separation of the brain stem from the base of the brain. It is essentially like unplugging your trailer from the truck . . you pull the plug. This is the injury that killed you in an old-west hanging. . the noose is around your neck, the floor opens and your plug is jerked out. Dale's head/helmet was hyper-extended up and out away from his body. If he hit the wall at around 160, and decellerated to 0 in about 3 feet (crush zone of car), he sustained around 22-25 g's which is well in excess of the structural ability of the human neck even without the mass of the added helmet. Surely a collar or HANS would have saved his life... . He may be in a coma, he certaily would have undergone surgery to repair other problems, but at least those would be 'fixable'... surgeons are just mechanics with smaller tools, give them a chance to fix the problems!

 

[Papa Joe]

Sheeesh. Good explanation. Thank you. Joe

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White 2001 QuadCab 2500 Laramie SLT, HO 6-speed, 3. 54 limited slip, Mopar exhaust brake, towing/camper options, Rhino liner, Grover Air Horns (not yet installed), Un BOMBed (so far), DUAL AIR BAGS !!

 

[Andy Perreault]

I never did see the replay of Blaine Johnson's wreck in England a few years ago.

Blaine Johnson died at Indianapolis Raceway Park. There were openings in the concrete barriers to allow the safety trucks access to the track. Blaine hit one of the openings where the concrete barrier runs at an angle in relation to the track. The angle that he slid off the track and hit that barrier, compared with the angle of the barrier itself probably meant that he hit the wall close to perpendicular, or at least greater than I'd say a 75 degree angle. Of course, he was doing well over 250 mph! Since his accident, the NHRA has installed gates that they keep closed until a safety truck needs to enter the track. That means both walls are smooth, with no angles. A car hitting the walls now would be similar to a bowling ball going into the gutter, it would still be moving in more or less the same direction. One thing I noticed about the NHRA, when a crash occurs, measurements are put into place to prevent or reduce the severity of that same type of incident in the future. Case in point: Tim Grose crashed his funny car (I don't remember where, but it was in the early 80's), and the chassis without the body tumbled on top of the "armco" guardrail lining the track. I've seen this wreck in one of those "And they walked away" videos. Anyway, the edge of the steel guardrail cut into his firesuit across his thighs, but he was not injured. For the next racing season, the steel guardrails were gone, replaced by concrete barriers. No more sharp edges. The question is, will NASCAR make any changes, or will they continue with that "Oh, well, that's racing" attitude?

Hemi Dart, you may be thinking of Darryl Gwynn's wreck in England that left him paralyzed and without a left forearm. I hated to see that happen to Darryl. He was on his way to a top fuel world championship that year, and he was my favorite. I remember how it shook me up, and I was angry and shocked and hurt all at once. It's great to see that he's so active in racing as a team owner, especially with my other favorite, Mike Dunn, as his driver. I met Darryl once, what a great guy! I can remember being so ecstatic when he was the first one to be under 5. 3 seconds, I remember when he ran a 5. 27. Even though I don't follow drag racing anymore, I would love to see the Gwynn/Dunn team win a world championship!
Andy


[This message has been edited by Andy Perreault (edited 02-21-2001). ]

 

[Papa Joe]

Guys, I think the telephoto effect (very long shots with very powerful lenses) takes away the built-in dimensioning you and I deal with in our minds and calculate subconsciously everyday. In other words, the impact didn't look to bad on TV, but it was truly horrible in real life. (Look at the front end after impact #ad
)

Joe

 

[BCFAST]

Dont loose sight that the good doctor is under the employ of nascar! He would not make a statement that could possibly incriminate nascar for the 4 deaths because they didnt mandate collars. 2 other things: Dale hit the wall at *only* 155-160mph... it hurts, but worse hits than that have been survived. and #2... it was not full-force head-on! My crash was similar in that I hit the right front at an angle like his, so I understand what the whole ordeal is like. . except I rebounded back out of the wall and up into the air... round and round... sorta like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... I hit the wall and wasnt done yet! 'thank you sir, may I have another!' I feel bad for all those involved... but for the life of me, I just cant understand why anyone (especially a man with wife and kids) wouldnt use EVERY safety device available. They keep saying they know the risks... that they know its dangerous... why tempt fate? Give yourself every oportunity to survive. It's still just a matter of numbers... you ARE going to crash! The more laps you do, the more likely. . just like on the street. . the more miles you drive, the more likely your chance of an incident.

 

[WOWZY]

Yeah Pete I guess some of us can use a little common sense to realize what the Dr. was talking about.

Some people are educated beyond their intelligence!!