NASCAR: New Saftey Rules and Other Stuff

Belt installation addressed in rule changes

DAVE KALLMANN of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote this great article about NASCAR.

"Almost overlooked in the recent NASCAR safety enhancements for 2002 is the directive that seat belts must be installed according to the manufacturer's specifications.

We all picked up on the requirement of helmets for over-the-wall crewmen. The image of Ricky Rudd's mechanic sent sailing after a pit road collision in Homestead, Fla., remains frighteningly fresh.

Similarly, we jumped on the minimum age requirement of 18 for drivers and crew members in the top three divisions and all touring series. It torpedoed a promising rookie season for Kyle Busch on the Craftsman Truck Series.

These were significant changes that made up the bulk of a Dec. 13 NASCAR news release, a document that also mentioned crash data recorders, ignition cutoff switches, extinguishing systems and fire-resistant clothing for drivers.

But isn't the rule on belts, detailed in a recent Daytona Beach News-Journal story, at least as important?

After all, seat belts - and the way they're mounted - were a hot topic all season.

Dale Earnhardt's belt was torn during his fatal accident in the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR told us, and its summer-long investigation determined that the failure might have played a role in his death.

Bill Simpson said his belts don't break if they're mounted properly. He insisted he'd warned Earnhardt repeatedly that the peculiar installation of the driver's belts could cause them undue stress.

And NASCAR did nothing to back Simpson's claims. It let him be a scapegoat. In doing so, he says, it forced this safety pioneer to resign from the company he'd founded.

Doesn't this new rule about seat belt moorings vindicate Simpson? Doesn't it say: "You were right, Bill. If the equipment isn't used properly, it can't be expected to do the job for which it was intended"?

That's what it says, all right. In its own, quiet, issued-far-from-the-spotlight sort of way, of course.

On the dais Scheduling conflicts with NASCAR resulted in some previously announced honorees being unavailable for the 11th annual Wisconsin Motorsports Charities Recognition Dinner, but a revised guest list has been prepared. Intending to attend: Parnelli Jones, who won five straight USAC stock-car races at the Milwaukee Mile; Dave Marcis, the longtime Winston Cup owner/driver from Wausau; Don Prudhomme, drag racing great and team owner; road racers Peter Cunningham and Boris Said; Jim Sauter, accepting on behalf of son Johnny Sauter, the American Speed Association champion; Joe Roe, an eight-time champion in the Interstate Racing Association; Jen Snyder, a Harley-Davidson oval-track prodigy; and Hunter Floyd, CART chaplain.

The fund-raiser is set for Friday, Jan. 18, at the Country Inn in Waukesha. For ticket information, call chairman Russ Lake at (262) 567-7837.

Jumping the gun? State Fair Park officials point out that despite assurances by the Milwaukee Mile that the track's bleachers would be replaced for 2002 and the grandstand for 2003, funding is not in place, bids for the work have not been solicited and no contracts signed.

New boss British American Racing announced last week that it had hired David Richards, who has run successful teams in the FIA World Rally Championship, to head its Formula One operation. He replaces Craig Pollock, a close friend of driver Jacques Villeneuve's who helped to found BAR in 1999. Drivers Villeneuve and Olivier Panis will be back.

Last laps Winston Cup star Tony Stewart has committed to driving in the premier SportsRacer class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race in February. . . . A.J. Foyt is expected to name the driver for his Winston Cup team in early January. . . .

The bankrupt Formula One team owned primarily by retired champion Alain Prost has until Jan. 15 to find investors to continue operation or it will be liquidated. . . .

Veteran Wisconsin short-track crew chief Howie Lettow, who has guided seven drivers to American Speed Association rookie honors, will try for an eighth next season when he teams with David Stremme, 24, and Ron Daniels' Go Go Motorsports. . . .

Anthony Lazzaro, a Toyota Atlantic champion who made a short-lived attempt at stock car racing, has signed with Sam Schmidt Motorsports of the Indy Racing League. . . .

The European Le Mans Series, which has served as a sister to the American Le Mans Series, will discontinue operation after one season.