Bigger Windows at Daytona: NASCAR plans to widen Winston Cup’s shrinking driver-side window, which will allow drivers wearing neck restraints a faster exit in case of an emergency situation. NASCAR president Mike Helton confirmed the rule specifying a minimum, 17-inch window height will take effect for the July 7 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Helton said this is the first time NASCAR has instituted a window size for Winston Cup cars. Before this rule, NASCAR only monitored the distance between certain rollcage bars inside the race cars. “The specifics before were the height of the door bars and the height of the halo bar,” said Helton. “What we were finding was that in an effort to create better aerodynamics, that opening was shrinking. We drew a line in the sand and say, ‘OK, this is far as it can go.’ ” Competitors said the new rule makes sense especially for drivers equipped with the bulky HANS device, designed to restrain head and neck movement in the event of a severe accident. Two thirds of Winston Cup drivers now wear restraint devices. NASCAR said drivers needed a larger exit hatch in case of an emergency situation on the track.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(6-22-2001) (6-21-2001)
