Death of Dale Earnhardt - Safety Improvements

Safety Improvements

There were several safety improvements made in the sport of stock car racing following Earnhardt's death.

In response to the speculation about a broken lap belt in Earnhardt's car, many teams migrated from traditional five-point safety harnesses to six-point safety harnesses.

At the time NASCAR's report on Earnhardt's death was published, there were no rules requiring drivers to wear HANS devices. NASCAR president Mike Helton stated that "We are still not going to react for the sake of reacting." However, NASCAR did wish to "encourage their use." By August 19, 2001 41 out of 43 drivers were wearing them at the Pepsi 400 by Meijer at Michigan International Speedway, just two days before NASCAR's report came out.

Two months later, after a crash during an ARCA race killed driver Blaise Alexander, NASCAR mandated the use of head and neck restraints. Earnhardt's eldest son Kerry Earnhardt was involved in the crash that killed Alexander, although Kerry was not injured.

In addition to head and neck restraints, NASCAR began requiring the use of SAFER barriers at race tracks in which its top touring series compete. The soft walls feature foam and move slightly upon impact, dissipating energy and resulting in fewer forces being exerted on the driver during an impact.

Soon after Earnhardt's death, NASCAR began developing the Car of Tomorrow, which is currently used in competition in the Sprint Cup Series. The design of the Car of Tomorrow incorporates the result of research conducted in the aftermath of Earnhardt's death.