Dateline: 08/01/01

NASCAR's attempt to find a scapegoat for the death of Dale Earnhardt finally took its toll this week as Bill Simpson resigned as head of Simpson Performance Products. Citing the continued stress of the controversy over the cause of Earnhardt's death, Simpson turned in his resignation to officials of Carousel Capital, the firm that holds the majority interest in Simpson's former company.

Despite expert testimony that Earnhardt died as a result of his head being violently thrust forward, then back when his #3 G.M. Goodwrench Chevrolet hit the wall in the final turn of the Daytona 500 in February, NASCAR persisted in mentioning the alleged broken lap belt as a cause of death. Their statements weighed heavily on Simpson, who has a reputation for making the finest safety equipment in the racing game, and finally he broke under the pressure.

Bill Simpson has been involved in the development of many of the safety devices that NASCAR drivers stake their lives on. It appears to me that if the drivers and crew chiefs believed that Simpson or his products were in any way responsible for Earnhardt's death, they would be the first to switch to another brand of equipment. Yet each Sunday, I see car after car with the Simpson logo on the belts and harnesses that the drivers wear. That should tell NASCAR's leadership something.

Besides, there's considerable controversy over whether the belt actually broke or whether it was cut by a rescue worker, attempting to free Earnhardt from the car. Whatever the case though, this man who has devoted his whole professional life to finding ways to protect the drivers, has been ruined by NASCAR's handling of the incident. To me this seems grossly unfair.

The time has come for NASCAR to publicly state that Bill Simpson, his company and the equipment it manufactures was not the culprit in this tragedy. Instead, the fact that Earnhardt did not wear a head and neck restraining device was to blame. Earnhardt did nothing wrong. He simply made the choice allowed to him under NASCAR's rules. But his choice proved to be his downfall.

Bill Simpson's downfall was not by his choosing. It was rather by the actions of others who felt the need to find someone to blame. Because of this, racing is losing a man who always put safety first. 2001 will always be remembered as the year that racing lost one of its greats. Now it appears that racing is losing another man of integrity and devotion to the sport. For those losses, all involved in the sport, either as fans or participants, should mourn.