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Thursday, August 23
Childress refutes Simpson's claims
Associated Press
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Dale Earnhardt's longtime car owner
reacted angrily Thursday to seat belt maker Bill Simpson's claim
that he repeatedly warned the late driver the belts in his car were
not installed properly.
"In the 16 years that Dale and I were together, Dale never said
anything to me about any conversation with Bill Simpson or any of
Bill's representatives regarding the installation of the seat
belts," car owner Richard Childress said. "Bill did speak to Dale
and me on several occasions concerning safety issues, including
gloves, shoes and full-face helmets.
|  | | Richard Childress, right, claims Simpson never expressed concern about Dale Earnhardt's seat belt installation.
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"But I have checked with every crew chief that ever worked with
Dale at RCR to see if any of them had been approached by Bill about
incorrect seat-belt installation. Not one of them said he ever
had."
The issue came up after NASCAR presented its report Tuesday into
Earnhardt's Feb. 18 death.
Its investigation found that a combination of a broken seat
belt, a collision with another car and the angle in which his
Chevrolet hit the wall on the final turn of the Daytona 500 all
contributed to Earnhardt' death.
The report also said the separation of the belt was "not caused
by driver adjustment."
Nevertheless, immediately after the presentation, a
representative of Simpson's said the belt maker had told Earnhardt
on more than one occasion that he was not using his belts
correctly.
"Bill Simpson told him for years that the way he was using the
belts was not safe," attorney Bob Horn said while Simpson sat
silently beside him.
"Dale listened, but his response was to do it the way he wanted
to do it."
Simpson, who did not speak at the news conference, reiterated
the claim on Thursday and said he had witnesses to some of the
conversations, including Robin Miller, a motorsports writer with RPM.ESPN.com.
"There is one guy who was present during those conversations
and it was Robin Miller," Simpson said. "I'm not going beyond
that because I'm not going to give up their names. But at least one
guy will verify what I said. So that is two of us against one."
Miller confirmed he was present at one of those conversations,
which he said took place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway sometime in
the last two years.
"I was talking to Earnhardt about the HANS device and Simpson
came up and started talking to him about the way his seat belts
were installed," Miller said. "I can't remember exactly what was
said, but safety was discussed in depth. Why would Simpson lie
about this?"
The issue turned into a war or words on Thursday, when NASCAR
returned to the track for the first time since the Earnhardt report
was released.
As to the way the belts were installed, Childress said only that
the way they were in the car during the Daytona 500 "were
installed behind the seat, in the same area they had been installed
since 1986.
"Those belts in that position had held up through some very
horrendous crashes," Childress said.
And Kevin Harvick, the rookie who took over Earnhardt's car
after his death, said he doubted conversations ever took place
between Simpson and Earnhardt regarding belts.
"If Bill Simpson and Dale Earnhardt were such good friends,
well, don't you listen to your best friend?" Harvick said. "As
far as I'm concerned, it's a crock."
But driver Jimmy Spencer said it was common knowledge that
Earnhardt wore his belts differently because he liked to have the
adjuster pulled up high on his waist.
"He liked to pull up on his belts because he felt more secure
that way," Spencer said. "Simpson warned him about it the same
way he warned me about the way I was wearing my belts. It was
common for Simpson to look around this garage at these cars and
make suggestions as to how it could be safer."
Other drivers have said Earnhardt liked to sit back away from
the steering wheel and low in his seat, a style that could explain
why the belts could have been installed in a way that varied from
the instructions.
Simpson, weary of the subject, declined to discuss the specifics
of Earnhardt's belts or his conversations with him and referred all
other questions to his attorney.
"I'm not going to talk about my conversations with Earnhardt
any more because I'm not going to give anybody any ammunition for
anything," he said.
Childress said he wanted the entire issue to end.
"I feel that it is necessary to get my thoughts about this
matter on the record," Childress said. "However, I think we now
all owe it to Dale, Dale's family, friends and fans to bring this
matter to closure."
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