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Friday, July 6
Drivers weighing pros and cons of HANS
Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A peek into Todd Bodine's car reveals
a seat similar to one on a roller coaster. It's got a high back,
arms that encompass him and plenty of straps to hold him in.
One pit stall over sits Ron Hornaday's car, and the seat isn't
nearly as elaborate. It's a much simpler design, even cruder than
one found in a regular car.
|  | | Tony Stewart flipped his car wildly at Daytona yet is still on the fence about the HANS device. |
That's Hornaday's choice.
In NASCAR, safety is left more to the discretion of the drivers
than the rule book and that's the way everyone wants it.
"NASCAR is not supposed to come to me and say 'You're supposed
to wear this seatbelt, do this, do that,' " driver Rusty Wallace
said. "I've survived so many wrecks that when someone comes and
tells me I've got to change my style, I'm like, 'Wait a minute.' "
That's not to say Wallace and the rest of NASCAR aren't
interested in safety.
In the wake of Dale Earnhardt's fatal accident on the final lap
of the Daytona 500, everyone is looking for new ways to protect the
drivers on the track.
"A lot was learned from what happened to Dale and maybe it has
helped the safety issue a little bit," Bodine said. "Maybe that's
what it took for some drivers who normally haven't looked at safety
measures to look at them a little bit harder."
From a numbers standpoint, there's no doubt that it has.
In the season-opening Daytona 500, only a handful of drivers
wore the HANS device, short for Head and Neck Support system.
That number had increased by Friday, when drivers qualified for
the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. At least 15
drivers will be wearing the U-shaped device, which resembles a set
of shoulder pads that fit behind the neck and over the shoulder,
attaching to the helmet with two leather straps.
According to crash tests, it reduces the violent whiplash that
comes from running into a concrete wall at more than 100 mph.
But many drivers are still shunning the device, citing
everything from discomfort from its bulky design to downright
stubbornness for not wearing it.
"I think there are pros and cons to the HANS," said Tony
Stewart, who flipped his car at least twice in a 19-car crash at
the 500 before Earnhardt's accident. He walked away with a
concussion and a sore shoulder.
"I think the HANS device is a good start, but from my
standpoint, I'm trying to take it a step further to see if I can
get the cons taken care of to make it better."
NASCAR took a step in correcting one of the problems before this
race, ordering teams to make windows 17 inches high so a driver
wearing the HANS can climb in and out of the car with ease.
"For a little guy like myself, there wasn't a problem,"
reigning series champion Bobby Labonte said. "But for the bigger
drivers, especially ones wearing the HANS, it could be difficult to
get out of the car in a hurry."
Labonte is among a rapidly growing group of drivers using a new
restraint system developed by Bobby Hutchens, general manager of
Richard Childress Racing.
Hutchens, who has an engineering degree from North Carolina
State, designed a system that in theory does the same thing the
HANS does.
But Hutchens' device is really just a series of straps that hook
onto the helmet and the existing seat belt system.
"From a physical point of view it may be a little more
comfortable than the HANS, " Hutchens said. "Once they unhook the
system, they can climb right out of the car. The HANS is a good
piece of equipment, but with this, once it's mounted and adjusted
right, you might not even know it is there."
Only two drivers wore Hutchens' device in the Daytona 500. That
number had doubled the following week, and by Hutchens' count, at
least 22 will wear it on Saturday night -- many of whom have
abandoned the HANS in favor of it.
That number includes Ken Schrader, who like most veterans had
previously been opposed to trying any restraint systems.
Labonte said more drivers are open to the device because it's
not cumbersome.
"I like the feeling of a seat belt around my shoulders, it's
not like there's something sticking there like the HANS," he said.
"I can turn the wheel like I normally do and everything feels like
it normally does. A lot of guys might feel the same."
The demand for Hutchens' device has skyrocketed over the past
few months. At least 10 drivers wear it on the Busch series and
Hutchens has been getting orders from every racing series,
including parents looking for something for young drivers in
Bandolero cars to wear.
At $300 a harness, the system is much cheaper than the HANS,
which can cost upward of $2,000 depending on if it was custom
fitted.
"It started as one of those things where we wanted to develop
something that could make this sport safer and it's taken off,"
Hutchens said. "But had it not been for Dale's accident, probably
nobody would have even noticed what people are doing."
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