Dale Jr Believes Broken Seat Belt UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says in an interview in the September issue of “Playboy” magazine that he believes his father’s seat belt broke in the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. “He had an impact with the steering wheel,” Earnhardt Jr. says. “That means the seat belt had broken, or he couldn’t have been that far forward. That’s a long way – you could hit your chin on the wheel, maybe, but not your chest. He had broken ribs from the wheel and that has to mean a broken belt.” Earnhardt’s autopsy showed broken ribs on his left side, but questions about a separated seat belt’s role in his crash on the final lap in this season’s first race have been argued since that day. NASCAR is expected to issue its report on the crash sometime next month(That’s Racin’)(7-27-2001) UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains convinced that a broken seat belt led to the injuries that killed his father, seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. “Three days after the accident, I was already sure of what was going on,” Earnhardt Jr. said Saturday, one day after the Orlando Sentinel published a story in which its sources speculated on the contents of NASCAR’s investigation into the tragedy.(see full story at That’s Racin’)(8-12-2001) (8-11-2001)
