Death puts safety in the spotlight

Did rule changes contribute to Earnhardt's death?

By BBC Sport Online's Andrew Benson

Dale Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500 has put safety in the Nascar Winston Cup firmly under the spotlight.

The accident that killed the 49-year-old at the Florida Speedway came at a time when concerns were already being expressed about the risks in the USA's leading motor racing series.

Governing body Nascar had introduced for this season new rules aimed at improving the quality of racing in the championship.

It had come under fire for increasingly processional races at the super-fast Speedways at Daytona and Talladega.

Earnhardt's death has hit Nascar drivers hard

But leading drivers had questioned the wisdom of the changes, which they felt might have made the racing too close.

Speaking before news of Earnhardt's death was announced, former Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace said: "I know these rules were brought in for fans, and they probably had a whale of a race. But is this really the type of racing we want?"

Nascar has introduced roof strips and a larger rear spoiler on to the cars to increase drag and help overtaking.

These were tried out last season and during the qualifying races at Daytona this year without incident.

Earnhardt was battling hard with a rival driver when he lost control of his car.

Observers had said that the new rules made the cars look very loose on the high-speed banked turns.

Focus on head support

Earnhardt's crash has also focused attention on the need to find ways of protecting drivers' necks in high-speed impacts.

In 2000, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and truck racer Tony Roper died from head injuries apparently similar to those suffered by Earnhardt.

Motorsport safety experts have developed the the Head And Neck Safety (HANS) device to support the driver's head in the event of a heavy impact.

It has been proven to dramatically reduce the forces acting on a driver's head in accidents.

It is already used by some drivers in the US-based Champ Car series, while Formula One authorities intend to make it compulsory as soon as possible.

Dispute

But many drivers say the device is too bulky and uncomfortable, and only about a half-dozen competitors in Sunday's 43-car field were wearing the Hans.

Nascar has decided not to make it mandatory without additional testing.

Dr Steve Bohannan, among the team of doctors who treated Earnhardt at the track and at Halifax Hospital, was asked if the Hans would have saved the driver's life.

"I don't know if the Hans device would have helped," Bohannan replied. "I suspect not."

But Todd Parrott, Dale Jarrett's crew chief, said it is time for all drivers to seriously consider using the Hans. Jarrett wore it for the first time at Sunday's race.

"We're going to have to take a look at some of the safety issues," Parrott said. "My driver tested the Hans device over the summer and he will not get in the car without it now.

"If Dale had that on, we'd probably be looking at a different situation."