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CNN Live Saturday

Marty Smith Discusses Safety Devices for Cars

Aired July 07, 2001 - 17:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: NASCAR's Winston Cup circuit returns to Daytona this weekend. The Pepsi 400 kicks off in just a few hours, and marks the first Winston Cup race at Daytona since Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash during the Daytona 500 last February.

Among those drivers to watch today: Michael Waltrip, who will be racing on the Earnhardt team and Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the late racing legend. NASCAR drivers and fans can't help but think about Dale Earnhardt today. The racing legend died there in the final turn of the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Joining us now with a closer look at how that death has affected NASCAR racing is Marty Smith, a writer with nascar.com. Mr. Smith, thanks for joining us, good to see you again.

MARTY SMITH, NASCAR.COM: Yes, sir, thank you.

FRAZIER: Four drivers, including Jeff Gordon have had crashes into walls of very similar angles to Dale Earnhardt's since then. They were all fine. What do you think spelled the difference?

SMITH: Well, the mainly the Hans device and heightened safety awareness as a whole. Dale's death made everyone think so much about safety and what needs to be done to keep these guys safe in these race cars. Guys have started using head and neck restraint systems that didn't use them previously. And I am sure that that had a lot to do with it.

FRAZIER: That's where you got that term HANSS, is Head And Neck System for Restraints?

SMITH: Head And Neck Support System, yes, sir.

FRAZIER: I am sorry. I interrupted. You were going on?

SMITH: But, I am sure that is the major reason for these guys walking away from these crashes now is the heightened safety awareness that Dale's death provided. It is -- Dale's death was tragic, one of the most tragic occurs that's ever happened on NASCAR history.

But it's also proven helpful in that guys are really, really doing everything they can, NASCAR's doing more to keep these guys safe inside of these race cars so they can get out of the cars after they crash and wave to the fans and go home with their families. FRAZIER: All right, now while were you talking we showed some pictures. The HANSS system is sort of a tether to keep your helmet and your head inside it from moving around too much during a crash. I understand there are also other tethers like six-point belts to really hold your body in place. Let's talk about some more of those things.

SMITH: There are several innovative safety devices being constructed at this point. And a man named Bobby Hutchins that works for Richard Childress racing has developed his own head and neck restraint system.

There the six-point harness. There are several various things that are being developed that people are starting to use, drivers are starting to use, so that they can be safer in these race cars.

FRAZIER: Which enables them to hit a wall at 200 miles an hour and often walk away. That's the remarkable affect of these.

SMITH: Yes, sir. One of newest devices being constructed right now is the Humpy Bumper. A gentleman named Humpy Wheeler, that is the president of Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, has developed a bumper that he feels will absorb some of that blow when these guys hit these walls so fast and so hard.

Concrete walls don't give, so Mr. Wheeler has constructed and developed a bumper that NASCAR is looking at right now, they have tested it a few times, and hopefully Mr. Wheeler's efforts will be rewarded in these guys being safer.

FRAZIER: They are saying could be used by mid August in some of things I read. Also new sets that are sort of a survivor cell all unto themselves?

SMITH: Yes, that's very early in development right now. There is not a whole lot of information on that yet. But that would be certainly help as well.

FRAZIER: But idea is that these things, I think, most of people who enjoy racing also hope that these things filter down into passenger cars and that we see a benefit on the highways from this?

SMITH: Yes, sir. That's the thing about NASCAR, all of the development in NASCAR, everything that these guys do pretty much is used in street cars. And that's what all of safety developments that are made by Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Pontiac, NASCAR, everyone, all the manufacturers, all the teams, everybody working together to make developments and so that the citizens of America can be safer in their own passenger cars.

FRAZIER: Well we are grateful for those insights into them. Marty Smith, thank you for joining us. I know you have a couple of races to cover today, so we will let you get back to that with our thanks.

SMITH: Thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com