By Rick Houston
Brett Bodine would look around the Modified garage area in the early 1980s and wonder which drivers were going to lose their lives that season.
As difficult as such a scenario may be for most non-racers to comprehend, that’s how Bodine saw the world. And it’s precisely the kind of thing that led him to become a trailblazer in the Winston Cup garage.
Kyle Petty had attempted an early version of a head-restraint device, but found it too bulky and awkward to use. But in the year 2000 — a season in which drivers in all three of NASCAR’s national touring divisions were fatally injured — representatives pitching the HANS Device made the rounds during a test at Indianapolis.
Brett Bodine listened, and became the first Winston Cup driver to use the HANS we now know in actual competition. And he faced heat for it, and from none other than Dale Earnhardt.
This is Brett Bodine’s story.
Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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