This massive collision happened just over a week ago at the third-mile asphalt Norway Speedway in Upper Michigan. Kevin Peterson (64) was racing for the lead when he was spun on the front stretch. In the video we ride along with Tyler Wusterbarth who has nowhere to go at the back of the pack, but into Peterson’s door.
The full video is available at Tyler Wusterbarth’s YouTube page.
Thankfully, both drivers were able to escape major injury and tell the tale of the incident. Wusterbarth and Peterson are relatively new to the Street Stock game and purchased these machines from veteran racers. The Street Stocks are constructed on stock GM frames.
We first asked Wusterbarth about the incident. Although he did have a spotter, he said he did not have enough time to react once the car in front of him slowed. Thankfully, Wusterbarth had a HANS device and full containment seat. Although sore, he was still able to exit the vehicle.
As for Peterson, he knew that he was a sitting duck as he sat sideways on the straightaway, and holds no ill will toward Wusterbarth on the incident. Peterson, unfortunately, was hit so hard that the door bars pushed in nearly four inches, which is why the window net fell (although it was properly mounted). Peterson says he is thankful that he had a neck collar to keep his head from bouncing back and forth and now has plans to investigate a full Head and Neck restraint system.
We decided to show this video to Kevin Shaw, who owns RaceDay Safety along with his wife Laura. Here is what Shaw had to say…
As a racer myself, fire and driver’s side impact, whether from another car or a concrete wall, concern me the most. Of course, once you crank up the engine, all concerns quickly evaporate, that’s just the nature of a racer.
In reference to the video:
Street Stocks may be one of the “slower” divisions, but car construction and lap speeds are similar to the Late Models of the early 1980’s. In other words, you are still going fast and crashing hard.
A few years back, the “powers to be” in the head and neck restraint (HNR) industry, dialed back some claims of side impact protection, renaming the category as FHR (frontal head restraints). Testing revealed the FHR’s performed optimally in frontal impacts with a 30 degree coverage on the left and right side of 0 degrees. The Devices would help in impacts of 31 degrees or greater, but they needed some assistance, so full containment seats and/or additional driver nets (not a window net) were recommended for greater protection.
Essentially, achieving ultimate safety with 2017 technology is a combination of many pieces of equipment and the way they are used and installed. Updating the car and driver to the current technology is not necessarily expensive. Many companies are manufacturing budget conscious equipment inspired by the same pieces used in Cup.
Window nets are a good thing, but I believe they should now be intended for containing a drivers hands and arms during a rollover or helping keep outside objects from entering the cockpit. If your head can make contact with the window net during a crash, the head has already traveled too far. If there is an opposing object (concrete wall, bumper, etc.) on the other side of the window net, matters could be catastrophic. In the video, the driver’s window net did dislodge from its mounting points, even though it may have been properly installed. The force that caused deformation of the roll cage, most likely caused the failure, which is why a full containment seat would have been a nice backup. Luckily the striking car’s front bumper was not into the window opening or the drivers uncontrolled head movement would have likely come into contact with the bumper.
Helmet Supports or Neck Collars are pretty much defined by their actual name, they “Support the Helmet” and “Go Around Your Neck.” They may prevent your helmet from bouncing on your collar bone on a rough dirt track and they are covered in a fire retardant material so your neck has some additional protection in a fire. In no way are these a substitute for a Head and Neck Restraint or Frontal Head Restraint. In the video, the helmet support easily comes off the driver during the impact.
HNR’s or FHR’s go through very difficult testing in order to gain SFI approval. There have been many prototypes that did not make it to market because they were not able to achieve a passing grade. Pricing decreases have been constant throughout all the brand and model options available to racers. Zamp has a model that just over $300.00. It’s a little heavier and a little bulkier than the thousand dollar carbon fiber models, but the SFI 38.1 sticker on it means that it has met or exceeded the stringent testing standards.
Full Containment Seats have been so common in race car cockpits, that the old school, aluminum high back seats with rib supports look odd to me now. “Full Containment” means containing the shoulders as well as the head, as the shoulder area is the most rigid part of the upper body. Personally, I use a road race full containment aluminum seat, because I do not like the wrap around rib supports. Other drivers prefer the additional rib support as they use that part of the body to brace themselves when powering through the turns. Keep in mind, the rib cage is relatively delicate, so make sure adequate padding is used in that section of the seat. Ultra Shield and Kirkey both manufacture entry level full containment seats available for 499.00.
Simpson Race Products had a seminar a few years back and they were preaching “pelvic control”….as related to racing safety belts and harnesses. The recommendation was upgrading the single belt crotch strap to a dual (6 point) or triple (7 point). Their studies and testing found that stabilizing the pelvic area during a crash, allowed the seat belts, the seat and the HNR to work at their fullest capacities in order to restrain a driver.
The Helmet is another important part of the equation. I still see quite a few motorcycle helmets being used in circle track racing. RaceQuip manufactures a purpose built, tested and approved helmet, designed specifically for auto racing for around 200 bucks. The SA2015 Helmets now have factory installation of the threaded inserts which accept the hardware of all brands of HNR’s. That area is also reinforced. Just take your hardware, and screw it in, no other work required (other than following the manufacturers instructions!) When I purchased my first HANS in 2002, I had to drill my own holes and the hardware was sandwiched between the fiberglass helmet shell.
A little side story….In the early 2000’s, we were racing Mini Stocks at Lanier National Speedway, back in the track’s heyday. Our stock Mini division had completed its feature and the Modified Mini division was on track. While loading up our car on pit road, a somewhat routine dust up occurred between two cars, resulting in one contacting the front-stretch wall with a thud. The car hit completely flush on the left side, front to back against the concrete, but since the actual impact probably was around 30 mph, the engine was still running and what appeared to be relatively light damage, we expected the driver to pull away as we continued with our work. A minute or so later, we heard terrified screaming from the driver’s wife, who had come down from the grandstands and was now clinging to the catch fence, which separated her from the husband, who was still strapped into the car. As track and emergency crew began clearing a spot in the parking lot for a Life Flight helicopter to land, we now knew this was bad.
Unfortunately, the driver passed away that night. The track canceled the next week’s racing schedule to mourn the loss. Still shaken up by this terrible event, the canceled week of racing allowed for discussion with my wife, on whether to continue racing or not. She asked me if I still wanted to do it, “Yes” was the quick and definite answer. She told me she was fine with me continuing, but I had to take upgraded measures with the car and my personal safety equipment. Some of the pro racers were utilizing a new piece of equipment called the “HANS.” The original warehouse was an hour away in Atlanta, I made the trip to see what these were all about. I also knew these things were expensive, over $800.00 in fact, probably a quarter of what I had in the whole car, but if it allowed me to continue racing, I would deal with it. The HANS Device inventor, Jim Downing, met me at the door, gave me a tour of the facility and told me the $800.00 would be the smartest money I ever spent.
I also added the high density roll bar padding and the bolt-on head rests, which were minimal protection, but the best thing available 15 years ago.
Driver safety has come a long way in just 15 years. Head and Neck Restraints and Full Containment Seats seem to be utilized by the majority of racers at any short track we visit. Still though, many racers depend on 2001 safety technology, whether it’s a money issue, lack of information on what is now available or simply bravado? Hey, I took some ribbing when I showed up with the HANS Device, “You think you’re in Winston Cup now?, “What, are you planning on crashing tonight?”, “The sports car race is across the street at Road Atlanta!”
I still occasionally think about that tragic night at Lanier National Speedway. I do not know what the official details are. Although, I am almost positive, if we could go back to 2002 and install the safety equipment of today into that car, the driver would have finished the race and continued his life. Who knows what advances we will see in the next 15 years? We try to encourage all racers to take advantage of the safety technology of today, it’s what we have to work with at the moment.
We will never make racing SAFE, it’s DANGEROUS, that’s why we do it!
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