It takes a tremendous impact to rupture a fuel cell, they are designed to withstand a lot of pressure. Thousands of breaths were held, wondering if Skinner was going to be able to exit the burning racecar in time to escape serious injury from the fire. After what seemed like an eternity, Mike Skinner emerged unscathed, wearing the HANS device. Actually his exit was accomplished in pretty good time, considering all of the safety gear he had to dismantle. This demonstration should be a serious lesson to those drivers who are apprehensive about wearing the HANS device.
Proof now exists that a driver can escape a burning racecar while wearing the device.
The fact that Skinner was wearing the device, could have saved his life to begin with. A backward impact into a wall at that speed is what killed John Nemecheck in a truck race at Homestead. The fact remains that without the device, he may not have been able to exit the racecar at all, regardless of the fire. It appears that the sanctioning body will not do anything to cause them any possible future legal complications. They have to weigh every decision they make very carefully.