New Seat/Cocoon? UPDATE: An innovative driver’s compartment that could become NASCAR’s most revolutionary safety device sat behind a closed garage door Tuesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Only the most privileged in the Winston Cup division got to see it. What the participants saw of the cocoon-shaped compartment which bolts into the cockpit of a stock car, they liked. Especially the drivers. “It’s real nice and it’s definitely safer,” said former series champion Rusty Wallace, among those testing at the Speedway in preparation for next month’s Brickyard 400. “I can’t wait for NASCAR to let me give it a whirl.” Instead of the simple aluminum seat, which NASCAR has used for decades, the new driver-encompassing device is made of stronger but more forgiving carbon fiber. That’s the same material used in the tubs that protect Indy-car drivers. The compartment on display Tuesday was designed by PPI Motorsports, a Winston Cup team owned by Cal Wells, who came to the series from Championship Auto Racing Teams. Matt McArdle, the team’s technical director who designed the device, declined to discuss his creation. NASCAR has yet to approve it for use in its cars.(Indianpolis Star)(7-18-2001) UPDATE: Jeff Burton said he is close to being ready to discuss his data on a new driver compartment and composite seat. Burton has been working with PPI Motorsports on carbon-fiber seats and safety enhancements in the driver area. He’s waiting to go over the final data with a manufacturer, then plans to release his findings. The composite seat he has worked with Cal Wells’ operation to develop will be tested again in another week or two. Once finalized, Burton plans to release his findings(Richmond Times Dispatch) AND Manufacturer representatives and NASCAR officials met with drivers and crew chiefs this week to discuss safety updates at Indianapolis after one of the days of testing there. A second group of drivers is scheduled to test there next week, and a similar meeting will be held. Teams were shown the capsule seat PPI Motorsports and Jeff Burton have worked on along with Reynard and Dr. John Melvin, a Michigan-based biomedical engineer and one of the leading experts on racing injuries. A capsule seat was bolted into the skeleton frame of a car and many drivers sat in it and tested getting out of the vehicle. Drivers also were told of updated test results on the various head restraint systems and were shown crash-test video. “They had a lot more technical information than they had the first time,” said Todd Bodine, referring to January meetings at Daytona during testing. “They had a lot of experts there that really made everybody understand why certain things were the way they were and why they worked that way. Before, they just kind of told us what was the best. “Everybody was really happy with what they did and why they did it and looking forward to more of them and … making everybody safer.”(Racing Extra)(7-21-2001)
