The Truth about Dale

[PRO]

First let me say that its a regret to everyone involved in racing to see anyone die,also Dale was one of the best drivers ever.Now the truth is surfacing,the 1st EMT to get to Dale reports that he was NOT wearing His harness!!!Yesterday(2-21)the pit crew now states that 4 laps before the accident Dale reported that He had undone his harness.Looking at the wreck it looks typical with the impact being less than life threatening but w/o a harness it could and was life threatening.Why Dale,a veteran racer would do such a thing we will never know.Dale was a driver obsessed with keeping anyone from passing him on those last 10 laps or so but as we all saw previous to the wreck he bumped marlin so hard coming out of a turn so as to put them both at a loss for traction,I thought He was out of control,I imagine so was marlin as He backed off to some degree.It wasnt marlins fault as the sideveiw shows He didnt touch him,if youve only seen the rearview you probably think he did,there was plenty of clearance between all cars.See ya Dale,we all bow to your reputation and the way you lived your life, " you ran the race so as to win"(Hebrews 12:1)

[GregY]

When I read in the paper about the injuries he suffered, I turned to my wife and said "I wonder if his belts were loose".

He just didn't seem to hit the wall that hard.

I hope it isn't true that he wasn't wearing them, but I am fearful that it is.

I don't believe a word of it.

[beepbeepsrule]

He was certainly one of the more animated drivers, even the announcers mentioned that more than once. At one point he was able to get his arm out through the net and wave a finger or two at one of the other drivers. I just wonder how easy that is if you are cinched in tight. It prompted one of the announcers to say "... just think how much better he would be at driving if he kept both hands on the wheel ...". I feel like the intimidator alter-ego took over in him last week and shut out all safety-related thought. A driver as aggressive as he was should take ALL equipment-related precautions available. He did not and that is a real tragedy.

[road chicken]

Just read on Netscapes Home page that Nascar found that the right lap belt was broken.Ttheir not saying anything else until the investigation. Pro, where did you get the info about him undoing the strap? If it was broke maybe it was getting in the way and that's why he undid it?

[Blunderbus]

Now broadcast news reports are stating that part of Earnhardt's harness was broken, and that might have allowed his face to hit the steering wheel. Someone at NASCAR is quoted as saying they've "never seen this in 52 years of racing" and that the investigation is continuing.

This morning's news that his face hit the steering wheel conflicts with earlier reports that he had no obvious visible injuries.

Also, this is a real convenient way to de-fuse the whole controversy over "whose fault" this is. We know Marlin was not to blame. Maybe this way some of the angrier Earnhardt loyalists will lay off Marlin.

Road Chicken, the lap belt broke WHEN Earnhardt hit the wall. He did'nt have a chance to undo it before the crash, the webbing broke on impact.

[Blunderbus]

From an article on Turner Sports Interactive:

According to NASCAR Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson, the left lap belt of the 5-point restraining harness in Earnhardt’s cockpit came apart, allowing the driver to thrust forward into the steering column upon impact with the wall during a last-lap crash in the Feb. 18 Daytona 500.

“The lap belt connects on both sides to the roll cage. The people who came to the scene found that the buckle was latched,” Nelson said. “What we found later on, after looking at the car, was that when we unbuckled it … it was separated between the two pieces of metal hardware. The webbing itself had separated.”

The belt, which rested on Earnhardt’s lap, is connected on one side to the roll cage on Earnhardt’s left and on the other side to a metal fastener over the driver’s belt-buckle. Both buckles were connected.

However, the “webbing” area between the two buckles snapped near the roll cage buckle when Earnhardt’s Chevrolet impacted the wall.

Consequently, the seven-time Winston Cup champion impacted the steering wheel with his head and chest, resulting in a fatal basal skull fracture, according to Dr. Steve Bohannon, director of emergency services for Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt’s autopsy revealed eight broken ribs, a skull fracture from the back to the front of the head, a fractured sternum and a fractured left ankle.

“The major impact of Mr. Earnhardt was forward and to the right,” Bohannon said. “The belt gave way and let the body move forward and to the right, and it likely contacted the steering wheel with the chest and face. It appears that probably his chin struck the steering column in such a way that the forces were transferred up the mandible (jaw bone)… and into the base of the skull.”

Earnhardt was one of only a few NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers to wear an open-faced helmet. Bohannon said that, due to the nature of Earnhardt’s injuries, a closed-face helmet might have

[340king]

Wow!!

I have always been a believer in tighter is better when it comes to belts. I always tug on mine during cautions. It is amazing how much they move just after a few laps. A loose belt will break much easier than a tight belt. The tight belt keeps the body from developing additional momentum prior to reaching a restraining tension. Could it be that he loosened the belts 4 laps earlier allowing some slack in them prior to the crash?

I use the sternum latch like he used on my car. I may try loosening up a lap belt and seeing just how much freedom it gives me. With the sternum belt setup, it should be better than without in this scenario. I have only been in one moderate wreck with this belt system and did not notice any movement, although there must have been, I bent the frame 5" up on the drivers side.

[GregY]

Just a couple things:

1) I am very glad that he apparently did not intentionally do anything to the belts (like loosen or remove the shoulder belts) that contributed to his death.

2) If NASCAR knew the belt broke on Sunday, why are they just announcing it today? It seems like a pretty important and critical factor in the crash to just go unmentioned for so long. Especially when it kills your star driver in a relatively modest appearing accident. Any ideas what's up with that?

[PRO]

Amazing,the day after i post this they release a version of what happened,actually I heard this on the radio on 2-21,they said that"after reviewing the recorded conversation of pit to crew that earnhardt mentioned undoing his shoulder restraint"now if you where close to Earnhardt,you know someone like His crew or friend etc,what would you release as a statement of the facts,would you say He undid his belt or it failed in the crash? either way it doesnt really matter,lets not get so opinionated that we present ourselves as knowing what actually happened.But I admit something doesnt add up,a typical wall impact that weve seen many times that results in a death definatley needs some investigation as to the actual fault so that it is not repeated..........PRO......

[Intence_Ram]

GregY,
Nascar did not know at the time if an emt (or somebody else) cut it to get Dale out or if it broke. After they investigated they found out that nobody cut the seatbelt.

[road chicken]

I'm just really curious to see what happened. I mean this effects everybodys saftey out there. I gotta think those belts are inspected every week for fraying and the like. That assumed, if it did break on impact, that puts every harness made with that material in question, and the implications are obvious. I think making sure it doesn't happen again is paramount at this point. Finger pointing can go on later. I'm definately with PRO on this !!!!
340king- I would keep them tight.

[Dart]

I think this adds up to be a bit of a coverup. I too heard the same thing PRO did.

[Billydelrio]

I Don't know exactly what happened to the safety belts in those last few laps, but I hope that it is determined with good accuracy before the movie makers start filming. We all know that Dale removing or loosening the belts will make a more DRAMATIC ending than a belt failure.

I can see it now, Dale (Alec Baldwin) is racing his heart out trying to keep Marlin, Wallace, and Schrader from passing and jeopardizing Waltrip's first victory. The camera catches Earnhardt removing his restraints as he tells his crew that he is having difficulty.................

I am an Earnhardt fan, and hope that if/when the movie is made, they get it right.

Dale, we miss you already

Billy

[GregY]

Has anybody heard anything else on this subject? Several days ago I heard that RCR or Earnhardt might have "modified" the seat belt. Since then, I haven't heard a word about it. What about the rumor that he radioed to his crew he had undone or loosened the belts? This thread is the only place I've heard that mentioned.

Just curious, unfortunately, nothing brings him back.

A movie about Dale Earnhardt dying at Daytona? I don't think so Billy.