The New York Daily News Stock car driver Dale Earnhardt altered the seat belt in his No. 3 Chevy Monte Carlo during last week's Daytona 500, possibly playing a hand in his death on the final lap of the race. However, one source who saw the car after the wreck told the Daily News the seat belt failure was because of alterations to the safety harness ordered by Earnhardt, not because of a design flaw or failure of the mechanism. Another source confirmed the manner in which Earnhardt had the belt installed likely caused its failure.
Drivers often make equipment changes so they can be more comfortable in the cockpit.
Dale was so successful, he went through a lot of accidents, he had no real reason to change some of the ways he did things. Winston Cup drivers use a five-point safety harness that has two straps over the driver's shoulders, two around his waist, and one between his legs. They all meet in the middle of the driver's body. The left side of Earnhardt's belt broke, allowing his chest and chin to slam violently into the steering wheel. The part was supplied by Simpson Performance Products.