A Safer FutureYou don't have to look too hard to find one of the devices at short tracks, whether paved or dirt.
"We'd heard about those things before Earnhardt was killed and tossed around the idea of using something like the HANS," says Mike Johnson Sr., who wears the HANS device while competing on Saturday nights at a short track in Winston, Missouri. "Once Earnhardt was killed we knew it was well worth the money if it helped with safety. It took us about three months to get one, and I've used it ever since. In fact, I hit the wall backward at about 115-120mph and walked away. If I hadn't have had the HANS, I would have been hurt. It works."
If there is a testament to the high-profile deaths that rocked stock car racing the last two seasons, it's that the sport's losses have not gone in vain. From a Winston Cup champion such as Gordon to the grass roots drivers who just race to have fun on the weekend, many drivers have focused on the need for better head and neck protection.
"A lot of people took a look and started brainstorming last year after what happened at New Hampshire," Hutchens says in reference to the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin at the Loudon track. "At the first of this year, I don't know whether we were far enough along to really understand where we were at with it. Then when February rolled around and things happened like they did, people started paying attention to those types of things. If it wasn't for Dale's unfortunate accident, I don't think the awareness of the head and neck restraints would be where we're at today."