The Ford Mustang car #21 driver led three laps in his debut at the 200-lap race. His maiden appearance, however, was cut short when he flipped in a multi-car accident on lap 62. The wreck saw him finish 39th in the race.
Fortunately, Burton escaped the incident unharmed. On being asked what the car felt like upside-down, he replied:
Although the Wood Brothers Racing driver was disappointed with his outing at Daytona International Speedway, he was optimistic about his chances going forward. He said:
NASCAR places strong emphasis on safety
Crashes like that of Harrison Burton, or the recent Myatt Snider wreck in the Xfinity Series, appear horrific to the viewer. Fortunately, they are not fatal, and drivers usually escape incidents with minor injuries, or at the very least, shaken. This, however, was not the case some years ago.
In 2000, the sport lost three drivers in Tony Roper, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin across its three national series. It was, however, the fourth death that triggered a chain reaction in NASCAR – the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001.
Losing a legendary driver in Earnhardt Sr. pushed the officials at NASCAR to introduce safety measures, something they were reluctant to do in the earlier years. Subsequently, the Research and Development Center opened in 2002, which brought in a number of changes to the sport.
In 2001, NASCAR mandated drivers use HANS (Head And Neck Support restraint) devices. These devices are considered to be one of the most crucial developments in ensuring safety, especially preventing basilar skull fractures – the reason behind Earnhardt Sr.’s demise.
That, coupled with energy-absorbing SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers, six-point harness systems, updated roll-bars and changes in rules and regulations, has brought about the safety that we see in today’s NASCAR.
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