Burton’s Safety Equipment Seized: NASCAR officials confiscated the helmet and head restraint worn by driver Ward Burton, who was hospitalized Sunday after a crash at the California Speedway. Burton suffered a concussion and strained tendons in his neck when he hit the concrete wall during the NAPA 500 at Fontana, Calif. He remained hospitalized late Monday at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and his status for Sunday’s race in Richmond remains questionable. Burton was wearing a new head-and-neck restraint designed to slow the forward motion of a driver’s head in a wreck. But some drivers and teams on Monday questioned how well the device performed. Racing safety architect Bill Simpson designed the new restraint and began giving it away at last week’s Winston Cup race in Talladega, Ala. A handful of drivers wore the device during Sunday’s race in Fontana, according to Simpson representatives. Burton’s wreck was the first on-track test of the restraint. One source told The Charlotte Observer that Burton’s head moved forward enough that he hit his chin on something in the car. Monday, several drivers phoned Simpson’s company with questions. Some wondered whether the device contributed to Burton’s injuries or whether it saved his life. Simpson said he couldn’t draw definite conclusions until he studies Burton’s restraint, but he said the device showed promise in a sled crash test. Winston Cup Series Director Gary Nelson, who picked up Burton’s helmet and restraint Monday, was unavailable for comment as he travelled back to NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach. It is unclear whether NASCAR will return the restraint to Simpson for research.(That’s Racin’)(5-1-2001)
