Stock Car Racing Safety - Safety First

Back in racing's early days, drivers used to climb into their cars with nothing more than a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. At most tracks, those days are long gone. Almost every track requires some sort of driver suit, but many don't require enough.

That single-layer suit you got on sale for $49.99 looks good, but it won't protect you when you need it.

No one should race with anything less than a single-piece suit with an SFI-5 rating. That requires at least two layers of flame-resistant fabric. It isn't just the fabric that protects you in a fire, it is also the amount of fabric between your hide and the flames. More layers offer better protection.

If you can't budget for a three-layer suit, opt for a two-layer suit worn over Nomex or long underwear with a similar style.

Also, just because you've been working out to impress the redhead in the middle grandstand doesn't mean you should wear a suit that fits tightly around your six-pack abs. A bit loose is better than a bit tight. Air is good insulation.

Lastly, keep it clean. A dirty suit or one that has been soiled with gasoline or oil isn't nearly as good as one that is clean, so don't wear your suit around the pits when you are working on the car.

Besides, a clean suit looks better to the sponsors . . . and that redhead.

Fire is a racer's greatest fear.

Even the best systems in the world can fail, as evidenced by Juan Pablo Montoya's flaming exit from his first Nextel Cup race at Homestead-Miami last November. Montoya's Dodge burst into flames, and he had to scramble to safety as the fire moved toward the driver's area.

Fuel cells for short track racing are considerably safer than those for NASCAR's professional series because they don't have to incorporate a filler neck for pit stop refueling.

The best cells are foam filled, with a ballistic nylon liner (or similar type of material that can deform on impact) inside a steel or aluminum box. There are other styles available, most using a hard plastic container to hold the foam inside a metal box. The plastic does a good job but doesn't deform as much as the soft nylon.

The foam is the heart of the cell. Filled with fuel, it consumes only a small fraction of the container's total volume (according to Fuel Safe, it is about 3 percent). The cell replaces the air in the container with empty foam, thus making the inside of the box a fuel-rich, oxygen-starved environment. As long as the cell remains intact, it is almost impossible for the fuel inside to combust.

There are lots of different manufacturers selling a variety of fuel cells and containers. The price difference is usually not that great between one that is barely adequate and one that is hopefully better than you'll ever need.

And if you think you'll never go fast enough to need a fuel cell, check out the Internet video of Spicer's crash at dirttrackvideo.com/video/firerescue.wmv.

Finding a good helmet is fairly easy. Don't look on the outside for the brand name. Look on the inside for the Snell sticker.

The Snell Foundation certifies helmets after a demanding battery of tests that mimic the type of impact they would normally receive in a wreck. Then the foundation buys random samples of helmets to ensure the standards are met during the production run.

The best helmets for motorsports carry the Snell SA rating. The SA rating indicates that the helmet not only met the impact criteria, but also has a lining with flame-resistant material.

Edward Becker, Snell's director, says a good fit is critical.

"A good helmet that doesn't fit right is compromised," he says. "I think that most drivers buy helmets that fit too loose. A bit snug is better than a bit too loose. Go to your vendor, put on the helmet, and wear it around the store for a few minutes. Be sure you will be comfortable with it for the length of a race."

Oddly enough, not every helmet of identical size will fit. There are some drivers who have a "Bell head" and others with a "Simpson head." They just seem to fit better in the products of a single manufacturer.

Some features to look for in a helmet include vents to help hot air escape, a chinstrap that is easy to work, and an eye opening that gives you the field of vision you need for your type of racing.

If you take care of a helmet, it should be good for about five years, says Becker.