NASCAR Safety Equipment
After the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, NASCAR faced a wave of criticism for the lack of innovation in driver safety. Since then, the organization has taken a lead role in the industry in developing new technologies.
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Types
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Prominent safety features include the HANS device for head and neck restraint, advanced helmets and fire suits, and the SAFR barrier replacement for concrete walls.
History
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The NASCAR Research and Development Center, where testing on safety innovations takes place, opened in January 2003 as a response to the high number of driver fatalities in the preceding years.
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Fun Fact
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NASCAR was famously lax with safety procedures in the early days. Popular driver Tim Flock was even allowed to drive with a monkey passenger named "Jocko Flocko."
Significance
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After seeing four drivers killed in 2000 and 2001, NASCAR, as of November 2009, has not had a driver death in a major series since, thanks in part to new safety procedures.
Expert Insight
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"This whole company's different. As an owner back then, NASCAR's tool box has expanded, not only from what the series means to the public -- with the Nationwide Series being international and two international series ourselves -- but this building and what it represents." - former NASCAR driver and owner Brett Bodine on the R&D center.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of tequilamike
