CSI: NASCAR: wielding cameras and tape measures, crash safety inspectors dissect debris to find ways to keep drivers out of the hospital and on the track

Sporting News, The, July 22, 2005 by Matt Crossman

Kyle Petty's car was a twisted mess of metal, the result of a smack in the back from one car, then a scary crunch into another. There's always that second or two of trepidation after a hard hit, but everybody was OK.

Suddenly the No. 45 was swarmed by firesuits. Guys from the wrecker trying to clear the track. Crew members already looking to get repairs under way, the two groups sometimes getting in each other's way. Reporters looking for comments. Photographers snapping picture after picture. NASCAR officials eyeing the damage with millions of TV viewers peering over their shoulders.

NASCAR fans are the ultimate gawkers. And TV plays the ultimate enabler. But when the camera turns back to the race and the car heads for that great sponsored junkyard in the sky, that's when NASCAR's version of CSI (crash safety inspectors) jumps in.

CSI: NASCAR is a three-person team that inspects cars before each race and after each wreck. Their findings have led to numerous safety improvements in the three-plus years of the current program.

At the Nextel Cup level, field investigators Jamie DiPietro and Steve Lawson work every race, assisted by a third person who rotates in depending on the track.

For whatever reason--more aggressive driving, less experienced drivers, more pressure, a new spoiler and tires package--the CSI team has seemed much busier this season than in recent ones. With the race for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup in full swing--and, with it, drivers fighting for position and taking chances they otherwise wouldn't--DiPietro and Lawson don't figure to get any downtime the rest of the season. Their job is mostly data collection, but what a fascinating data collection. Unless you're Kyle Petty.

Measuring up

DiPietro and Lawson inspect every car that hopes to enter the race. The official inspection report lists 30 safety items that must be checked off, from the seemingly innocuous (the window net's hole size) to the vital (the helmet, fire extinguishers and safety belts).

DiPietro and Lawson also take 10 measurements, such as the distance from the steering wheel to the seat and the distance from one head support to the other. After a crash, DiPietro and Lawson take those measurements again, and changes help them to identify potential injuries. For example, if a head support is moved, DiPietro and Lawson tell the infield care center to pay special attention to the driver's neck and shoulder areas. That works in reverse, too. If a driver tells the doctor that his shoulder hurts, the doctor tells DiPietro and Lawson to look for a cause.

All in a day's work

The CSI team watches each race from inside a Nextel Cup hauler. Early in the Batman Begins 400 at Michigan, Brian Vickers slid sideways toward water barrels that lined the entry to pit road. "Don't hit, don't hit," DiPietro said to the TV.

He hit.

Within minutes, DiPietro and Lawson were at Vickers' garage. The damage was minor, limited to demolished sheet metal in the front end and a broken radiator. DiPietro and Lawson had little to do. "In these cases, we try to stay out of the team's way because they're trying to get back in the race," DiPietro says. "That was kind of a false alarm."

Most weekends aren't as easy as Michigan, which typically features no major problems. How busy they are depends on the track. At Bristol, they don't sit much. Two weeks ago at Daytona, there were five crashes involving 20 cars. But the first one didn't happen until just before midnight, and the last one didn't come until 1:45 a.m. ET Sunday.

How'd that get there?

Lawson and DiPietro don't get the same reaction from teams as other inspectors do. It's accepted that teams will try to pull a fast one on the technical inspectors. But Lawson says teams are much more willing to make changes the safety inspectors ask for.

Doug Richert, crew chief for Greg Biffle, says the safety inspectors constantly share information with teams. "When they see something better, they pass it along to us," he says.

The field investigators' reputation in the garage is good because it is well-known they do their homework. The changes they suggest are made only after a thorough examination of evidence. Says driver Jimmie Johnson: "In racing, there were a lot of crazy ideas dreamed up through the years--I've been in so many crashes, and this helped and that helped,' but there wasn't any scientific data to back it up. Now, everything has been proven out."

Crash course

DiPietro and Lawson help train local rescue personnel. For example, NASCAR allows drivers to use any of three latches on the restraint devices, and it's important for a rescue person arriving on the scene to quickly identify which latch is being used and unlatch it.

Also, firefighters stand by in the garage area in case of a fire. As Lawson learned at a recent race, not all of them know which end of the car to keep an eye on. Thankfully, the firefighter found out the easy way.

Making cars safer

NASCAR has had safety inspectors in various forms for years. The Nextel Cup team DiPietro and Lawson work on started in 2002 in the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt's death, as the sport's safety came under great scrutiny. Atthe same time, NASCAR's research and development facility opened. The CSI team--also known as field investigators--and the R&D team work closely together.