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Sunday, August 19
Three drivers asked Jr. to use system
Associated Press
| |  | | | Earnhardt Jr. |
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. wore a
head-and-neck-restraint system in the Pepsi 400 on Sunday, six
months after this father died of a skull fracture in a crash at the
Daytona 500.
It's the first time Earnhardt Jr. has raced with the safety
device in his brief Winston Cup career and came two days before
NASCAR is scheduled to release a report on the fatal accident
involving Dale Earnhardt Sr.
The elder Earnhardt died of a fracture at the base of his skull
after his head was whipped forward when his car hit the final-turn
wall at Daytona on Feb. 18. He didn't use a restraint system and,
like his son, opted for an open-faced helmet.
A majority of NASCAR drivers use full-faced helmets. Tony
Stewart and Jimmy Spencer were the only drivers in Sunday's 43-car
field that chose not to wear some type of head-and-neck restraint
system.
Jade Gurss, a spokesman for the younger Earnhardt's team, said
last-minute adjustments had to be made to the device to make it
more comfortable.
Gurss said Earnhardt used the Hutchens Device in practice
Saturday, the first time he tested it.
"He liked it," Gurss said. "There's about six or seven
different areas of adjustments on the device, so we've got to work
on those to make it better for him."
Gurss said Earnhardt Jr.'s decision was made after at least
three drivers asked him to try the device.
"I can say there's a couple of us that have suggested it to him
because we care about him," Dale Jarrett said Saturday. "There's
two guys right now that drive this sport, and that's Jeff Gordon
and Dale Jr. And we want to keep those guys around here."
Gurss said Jarrett, Gordon and Jeff Burton spoke with Earnhardt
Jr. about the restraint system.
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