[Bad Dad 54]

I thought these bars should be on every car till a friend sent me photos showing how they caused the cage to collapse, maybe a x pattern so cage uprights can help support them.
Yes it can limit teh driver from getting out quickly, but I've seen these cars getting enclosed more & more
Had a discussion w/ a driver telling him his head didn't clear the cage, he went out & crashed jamming his neck & knocked out, off to the hospital
Talking to drivers about safety is like nailing Jello to a tree

[RynoK1999]

The only way to make racing 100% safe is to not race at all, to not be at the race track at all. It was a freak, tragic accident and the entire racing community cannot go crazy about what should or shouldn't be mandated. Just like the Justin Wilson IndyCar wreck, sadly weird things happen.

When the time comes for God to bring you home, he's going to bring you home. Bryan went out doing what he loved, that we can be assured of and thankful for.

I never want to see a driver injured...I'm always one to hold my breath when a car gets the wrong way.

I really do hope some kind of safety improvement can come out of this, but it needs to be at the discretion of the driver/team owner if they will use them or not.

#BCForever

[55fan]

Let's get back to the days when the driver handled the race car. IMO half mile tracks allow way to much speed for such a lightweight high horsepower racecars.

[Morin Racing 98]

We have been running halo bars since 2 weeks after Josh's accident in 2013 on every car we have owned. I would never let my son run without one but I do agree that it probably would not have saved BC. The force of that impact was way beyond the limits of one single bar over the drivers head.

Unfortunately, our cars have been upside down about 3 times in the past 3 seasons and I have inspected the halo bars every time a flip has occurred and EVERY SINGLE TIME the halo bar has impacted either the track or the wall and is really scratched up. As a parent and car owner, I can tell you from experience I am very pleased that the drivers helmet has never been hit or scratched with anything during a flip. However, I know this is not enough to protect a driver at a very high speed of impact. Also, I have seen no evidence that these halo bars make it harder to get out of the car. And if the driver is gonna have to be put on a back board the track should be prepared to make 3 cuts and remove the halo bar. I would think it could be cut off within 1 minute with a good battery powered sawzall......I will take that trade-off.

I have watched the dummy crash test video, seen both the crash videos from Josh and BC accidents and I do believe the only/best answer is more Research and Development is needed in the cockpit area of non-wing open wheel cars (Sprints, Midgets, Silver Crown). NHRA and Tractor Pullers understand that a huge cage is needed to protect their drivers, but somehow, circle track racers are very resistant to mandatory safety changes. The protection of the drivers is way more important than the looks of the car, or the newest, coolest looking fiberglass body which encloses the cockpit.

I see people posting on this thread with quotes like "We shouldn't change anything" or "No safety improvements should be mandatory" and I have to ask these questions to them: For drivers - "Is your 5-point harness tight??" and/or "Did you strap your full face helmet on?" or "Why do you wear a HANS device (or similar item)??"....There was a time back in the day when none of these safety improvements were mandatory or even available, and I am sure there were people back then against those changes as well..

I am 100% in favor for making safety improvements in conjunction with people who are educated on this subject,,,,NHRA, Tractor Pullers, Car Builders, Crash Test Folks, etc...what ever it takes to make the right changes that will help the driver the next time. I know the risk cannot be eliminated from racing in any form, but let's be honest, the chance of a horrific crash is quite a bit higher in open wheel cars, especially the non-wing version..anyone who don't see that needs to pull their head out of the sand.

Perhaps one organization that should be contacted for help with this subject by somebody in the know is John Force Racing...They were in charge of the "Eric Medlen Project", the following quote is directly from their website discussing Eric Medlen and his crash back in 2007.

[I]"Teammates loved him; rivals, too, which is why, when he succumbed to injuries following a testing accident in March, 2007, it left those in the sport collectively gasping for breath. The initial outpouring of grief quickly was followed by a universal show of support that resulted in the creation of The Eric Medlen Project, the thrust of which was the design of a safer race car and creation of a safer environment in which to compete.

Toward that end, project manager John Medlen has worked with Ford Motor Company, the NHRA, SFI, chassis builder Murf McKinney and a host of others in an unprecedented display of bi-partisan cooperation.

The program paid its first dividend in 2007 when initial changes were credited with saving the life of team owner John Force when he crashed at Ennis, Texas. Although he broke bones in his hands and feet, he had no serious head or neck injuries.

The improvements that made his survival possible included a wider roll cage, extra padding within it, the switch from five-point to seven-point harnesses and a head-and-neck restraint system that limits side-to-side movement as well as front-to back. It’s a legacy with which the younger Medlen would have been pleased".


These folks took the steps necessary to make things a little safer for drag racers back in 2007 after losing a high profile driver, it is now time for sprint car drivers/owners/builders to do something similar...I am sure I will have some bashers on here, but I bet almost everyone who bashes me won't be strapping their own kid in a sprint car this weekend either...I understand the risk but that doesn't mean I have to like it...in today's world, there is technology out there that can help our drivers be safer than in the past.

[har59]

Medlens crash showed that normal pipe insulation foam did not return to it original state when it was compressed it stayed compressed and as the helmet continued to batter the cage from side to side the helmet was striking the cage itself as the foam was useless after the first hit, the oscillation caused the helmet to rapidly strike the cage side to side..
Believe me i am no gore seeker i have seen plenty of the worst n my lifetime, but i do look at footage so my soul can understand the situation and look for an answer to a particular tragedy.
I rarely discuss such incidents with anyone but my wife who loves this sport as much as i do, i dont even talk about it with car owners that r close...
Mandatory???? If science proves a benefit then yes..

[treecitytornado]

A great fabricator, Jon Stanbrough, told me when you add more bars, etc. To the cage it weakens it. I trust Jon as a friend, a man that has done great work on our cars, and where we bought our first Sprint Car from in the Winter of 2000.

[6565]

I have a spike sprint car and the XXX halo that comes unwelded with those cars fits pretty good (I had it laying around the shop). Some minor joint clean up and it was ready for TIG welding.
Since this is turning into a generic safety thread, I would agree maybe we should add a vertical support tube under the halo ends-like the silver crown cars are doing on those long cages. Beaber's big Eldora wreck a couple years ago did cause the halo to bend the cage sides down-but he had a pretty tall halo on that car. That makes the halo ends attach more vertically than the lower profile halos. I know he won't race without one. Maybe Tony will chime in here.

I am a little intrigued by Jeff Swindell's seat mounting system he had a few years ago. Was supposed to be a universal type mount that all the chassis makers could use and he thought it was safer as well. I think the chassis companies will make cars with that style seat mounts if you ask. I have never seen very many pics or a car up close, but maybe that would be a start to being able to have a consistent driver location/mount setup to then build better cages around that. Also makes transferring seats from car to car easy-no more drilling holes for every car. If anyone has experience with this or pics of it-I'd love to find out more about it.

I liked Charlie Fisher's car mentioned earlier with wrap around bars from the 90's. Others have done similar, as did I several years ago. At some point the cars become too stiff, but if everyone has it-that doesn't matter.

[fish]

Originally Posted by xoxide Fish, No need to quote my own words, point out where I was speculating about anything..... All I did was show Charles that it has been done already If your comment wasn't directed towards me then disregard

Not knocking those words. I was hoping others would read them and take them to heart and not speculate at this time, just as you suggest.

[farriswheel]

I agree, it should be the driver's decision as to whether a halo, or anything else for that matter, should be ran on their car. That being said, I know the 3r car that Cummins drives has had a halo on it for quite some time, and his family owned car did as well. The bottom line, when it's your time to leave this world behind, it isn't going to matter if you're wrapped in bubble wrap, the good lord is gonna take ya! Might as well go out doing what you love to do. #RIPBC

[Phylo82]

There is no way to make this level of racing 100 percent safe. That being said, it shouldn't stop people from trying. When we were running, as the owner, I felt it was my responsibility to do everything possible to make the car as safe as possible. Let's face it, most drivers will jump into any car for the opportunity to drive, especially the younger ones.

At some point you have to decide if the risk is worth the reward. For me it wasn't. The sight of my son barrel rolling through turn four at Lawrenceburg was enough for me. I'm just thankful for the Butler Built seat, HANS device and Spike Chassis that allowed TJ to walk away from that wreck.

Thoughts and prayers to the Clausen family.