CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR on Monday tried to figure out why Kyle Busch's HANS device cracked during a spectacular crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
The frustrated driver, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of two hard wrecks that ruined his weekend.
Busch wrecked in Saturday's Busch Series event, when he was hit from behind and his car ended up on its roof before rolling several times through the grass. His HANS device, a NASCAR-mandated head-and-neck restraint system, cracked in the accident.
"It performed the way it was supposed to, but it had a slight stress crack in it after the accident,'' NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said.
NASCAR sent the device back to manufacturer Hubbard Downing in Georgia for examination.
Busch, who also wrecked hard in Sunday's Nextel Cup event, has not seen the device but was told by his crew it had cracked. He wasn't overly concerned about it since he wasn't injured in the accident.
"I've been in some pretty bad wrecks, but that was the first time I ever got upside down or anything,'' he said. "It wasn't fun. It wasn't too terribly bad when I was on the roof going down the straightaway, but when it headed toward the grass I planned for the worst.
"I flipped my visor open and put my hands in my helmet to grab on, then I tucked down and got in the fetal position and planned for the worst. I just wanted to support my head as best I could for when it started flipping.''
Busch doesn't like the grass that lines parts of the backstretch at Talladega, and believes it might have caused his car to flip. The car initially skid on its roof, and didn't begin flipping until it hit the grass.
"That's definitely an issue that maybe Talladega can take care of for us,'' he said. ``They did the repave job and took most of the grass out, but there's still some there and the car didn't roll until I got to it. I would have much happier sliding on my roof all the way.''
Busch said he plans to speak to NASCAR officials about it this weekend.
NASCAR is already aware of the complaint, and said the track removed considerable amounts of grass when it was repaved last year. What's left is used for drainage.
Busch, who turns 22 this week, said he's frustrated after a poor month of racing in which he wrecked two cars in Texas, a Busch car in Phoenix and then the two accidents at Talladega.
"It's devastating,'' he said. "I don't know what to do and if there was something I could change I would. I didn't wreck a car all year and then the past month ... all of a sudden we can't do anything right and can't avoid anything.''
Updated on Monday, Apr 30, 2007 7:11 pm EDT
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Hey NASCAR, keep our drivers off the grass please!!
Oh yes, I am so glad that he is alright, as I know all of our members are. I know that Ryan has taken bad tumbles at both Dega and Daytona. To this day the videos of those 2 wrecks still gets to me. I know we all can remember when Elliot Sadler did his rolls in both races at that track one year!
Can you imagine how many aches and pains Kyle Busch must've had come Monday morning! He cracked the Hans device in both of those wrecks, so let's hope that Nascar will make sure that our men have safe safety equipment. If this is indictive of a problem, they need to get it fixed before any driver is seriously injured! They also need to get rid of the grass areas, that is what made both of Newman's and Sadler's wrecks worse too!
It's a scary thing to see that happen knowing that there is a driver in the car and just hoping and praying that he is alright! And then the fire just makes the whole wreck all the worse. I am always on pins and needles until they announce that the window net is down since Feb of 2001, and still hold my breath until the driver is out of the burning car!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I was screaming "oh no, oh no" when I saw that tumble. I too am so thankful he was not seriously injured and that we made it through Sundays race without tragedy. Saturdays race was one of the best Busch races I have ever seen although I felt like I need a tranqulizer at the end. Great post!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I was suprised to see Kyle climb out of BOTH cars without any assitance.
NASCAR and the teams have done an oustanding job of improving race car safety over the past couple of years. There were some other really HARD hits at Talladega ( man Mears hit the inside wall a TON ) as far as I no there were no injurys?
__________________ If You Wont Stand Behind OUR TROOPS please feel free to stand in front of them
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
So glad Kyle was not hurt, I hope that nascar fixes these problems before our guys get hurt, I still remember when Steve Parks got hurt we dont want that to happen again, or even what happened to Dale Sr we dont want that to happen, I pray before every race that our boys have a safe race and that will never change, and I hope that all you nascar fans pray along with me.
Location: The OC... and it's nothing like the TV Show!
Posts: 468
Quote:
Originally Posted by nascar12rn
I was screaming "oh no, oh no" when I saw that tumble. I too am so thankful he was not seriously injured and that we made it through Sundays race without tragedy. Saturdays race was one of the best Busch races I have ever seen although I felt like I need a tranqulizer at the end. Great post!
You should be relieved when you see tumbling... tumbling doesn't kill drivers the big impact does.
Every tumble dissipates energy. Sure he'll get banged up and sore but he'll walk away/
__________________
That thing's been ridden harder than the coin-op pony in front of K-Mart!
You should be relieved when you see tumbling... tumbling doesn't kill drivers the big impact does.
Every tumble dissipates energy. Sure he'll get banged up and sore but he'll walk away/
How very right you are H8! Visually the tumbling looks worse, but it is the impact that does the most serious damage!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Busch's HANS device cracked in Saturday wreck
He cracked the Hans device in both of those wrecks, so let's hope that Nascar will make sure that our men have safe safety equipment. If this is indictive of a problem, they need to get it fixed before any driver is seriously injured! They also need to get rid of the grass areas, that is what made both of Newman's and Sadler's wrecks worse too!
Linear Mode
