Update on Earnhardt's #3 car

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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 04:06 PM
  #1  
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Update on Earnhardt's #3 car

"[Richard] Childress confirmed that his Busch series driver, Kevin Harvick, would take Earnhardt's place on the team for the season. His No. 29 car will carry the same Goodwrench sponsorship, will be painted white, and Kevin Hamlin will continue as crew chief.

NASCAR does not retire numbers, but Childress said he would never again race Earnhardt's black No. 3 car."

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/2001...t_crash_9.html


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[This message has been edited by MikeN (edited 02-23-2001).]
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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 04:32 PM
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Good, glad to see that. Good call by Childress. I'm sure down the road you'll see a number 3 car, but it will be painted differently. I wonder if that petition made any difference b/c he seemed to want to race it this week. Oh well, it doesn't matter now. Good decision was made.......



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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 05:07 PM
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NASCAR

Broken Lap Belt Cited In Earnhardt Death


Lap belt failure was cited as a primary cause Friday in the fatal injuries to Dale Earnhardt.

Rockingham, N.C., Feb. 23 — NASCAR’s search for a reason behind the tragic death of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt came one step closer to a conclusion this week, as the stock-car sanctioning body announced that the left lap belt in the No. 3 Chevrolet was broken and therefore did not afford the necessary protection in the crash.

NASCAR president Mike Helton opened a press conference Friday morning at North Carolina Speedway said, "What we have found in investigating Dale Earnhardt's car from the Sunday accident, there was a broken left lap belt. We don't know why, we don't know how, we don't know when – yet. All we know is that there was a broken belt at this point. We're not going to speculate today on theories, and we're not going to address any judgements or speculation. We will continue our investigation. We'll do our best to come up with as many answers as possible. We are telling crew chiefs in the Busch, the Cup and the Truck garages what we found."

Helton said that NASCAR officials discovered the severed belt Sunday evening while conducting preliminary inspection of the wrecked racecar. Nelson said that he'd never seen a belt fail in that manner – the separation in the webbing not being adjacent to any of the mounting or adjusting hardware on the belt. "We've never seen it and we've talked to people who are in the business of producing lap belts who've told us that they've never seen it. If the 52 years of NASCAR Winston Cup racing, this is the first one of these that we've seen."

Rescue workers cutting the belt during emergency medical treatment or extrication has been ruled out.

Richard Childress said that it was a brand new racecar and a brand new set of belts. "NASCAR mandates a five-year limit. Those belts were made in November of 2000, which is when we built the car. It was a brand new set of belts."

Nelson said specifically that, "The integrity of the restraint system was certainly compromised by the separation of the webbing."

Dr. Steve Bohannon said that, "It appears that the major impact with Mr. Earnhardt was forward and to the right. Apparently, the belt gave way and it allowed his body to move forward and to the right at which time he more than likely contacted the steering wheel with his chest and face."

Bohannon said that it appeared that Earnhardt's chin struck the steering wheel, which transmitted forces through his jaw on each side to crush the base of his skull. Asked would he have survived had he been wearing a full-coverage helmet, Bohannon said that all he can say is that the injuries would have been different.

In the face of more than one question about specifics, Helton reiterated, "Let me (say this) one more time. Your question is fair and I know where you're coming from, but let me tell you one more time. All we know conclusively is that the belt came apart. It separated. It's in two pieces. That's all we know conclusively at this point. We're not going to address any speculation. We've got, as you have, a gazillion ideas, and we've got to narrow all that down the best we can. But this morning, we're not going to speculate on what we may think beyond the fact that we conclusively know that lap belt is in two pieces right now."

Helton did say that NASCAR was employing the expertise in the garage area to help with the investigation. "A great deal of our resource for us to be able to determine things and sometimes amend situations are the minds that are in that garage area. We use them for a resource as well as inform them of what we find when we find something that's specific and we have in this case." Helton also said that NASCAR uses professional consultants outside the NASCAR community in particular investigations. — Bill King, News Bureau Editor, RACER and Champ Car



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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 05:14 PM
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WOW.

A broken belt.

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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 05:59 PM
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Man, what a way to die. Chin first into a steering wheel at 180mph. I think I'm driving slow home tonight.

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Old Feb 23, 2001 | 10:32 PM
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thats creepy...c'mon a broken belt?
{shivers}


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Old Feb 24, 2001 | 12:58 AM
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Is it me or does Helton seem like a big prik...

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Old Feb 24, 2001 | 02:04 AM
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by eclipse23:
I think I'm driving slow home tonight.
</font>
I guess this means he is keeping it under 100MPH !!!!!

Shawn S

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Old Feb 24, 2001 | 08:29 PM
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