Ryan Newman’s dramatic flip down the frontstretch was eye-catching, particularly for NASCAR officials, who were not pleased to see all those parts and pieces flying off the car. So NASCAR inspectors impounded Newman’s car for further inspection, to try to figure out why the car appeared to simply shatter when it hit the ground.( Winston Salem Journal ) HOWEVER After safety workers reached Newman’s car Sunday, he climbed from his window and waved to the cheering crowd. Finding faster ways to get drivers out of their cars — especially taller, or bigger, drivers — is high on NASCAR’s agenda. “NASCAR has been working for over a year on what we call bigger ‘greenhouses,’ which translates to more room in the cockpit for the drivers, especially bigger drivers such as Michael Waltrip,” said Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s corporate vice president of communications. “One of the possibilities is to have an exit section in the roof of the car where they can extract a driver through a bigger opening in the top rather than through the window.” Hunter said NASCAR officials kept Newman’s car for “well over an hour” Sunday to analyze it for future research and development. “The fact he walked away from this crash is a testament to the way our guys build their cars,” Hunter said. “Even though Ryan’s Dodge was demolished, the protective roll cage surrounding him in the cockpit did what it was supposed to do.”( Flordia Today )(2-18-2003)
