For those who watched the Richmond International Raceway event last week you might have noticed that the drivers were either fetching their helmets and Head And Neck Safety or Hutchins device, or having them brought to them following the various incidents of the night. This process, which has become part of ritual of a post-incident ride to the infield care center since 2002, gives attending doctors more information as they check to see if a driver might have sustained injuries during the course of a wreck. After the physicians are done with the helmet and head restraint it is turned over to NASCARs chief accident investigator, Jerry Kaproth. Kaproth and his accident investigators inspect the driver safety devices and take digital photos of them if there are any issues of merit with the pieces. NASCAR, with each accident, takes a full set of digital photos of the car, which provide a visual record of what worked and areas of the car that might need closer review. This data, along with the Independent Witness, the black box data recorder information is then entered into a incident data file. NASCAR routinely reviews these data sets with safety experts to see if theres an immediate fix required, or if the car acted in a predictable fashion. Men, including General Motors Tom Gideon and NASCAR safety consultant, John Melvin, review the data upon NASCARs request.( Ford Racing )(5-7-2003)
