Former Indycar driver and safety pioneer Bill Simpson dies at the age of 79

Between 1968 and 1977 Simpson started a total of 52 Indycar starts, in 1970 with the best sixth place in Milwaukee.

His previous drag racing exploits first sparked his interest in safety after he had two broken arms after a serious accident in 1958.

That led to his idea of ​​a safety parachute to slow down the top fuel cars of the era – a system adopted from drag racing legend ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits.

After this development, Simpson worked on increasingly effective driver protection devices – helmets, fire suits, gloves, and shoes – and made a major breakthrough working for NASA with Nomex.

In the 1967 Indianapolis 500, 30 of the 33 starters used Nomex fire suits.

Simpson became famous for setting himself on fire to prove the effectiveness of his products, but he was also a strong advocate of improving safety features on cars.

For many years NASCAR has been developing what are known as “crumple zones” to absorb the energy during impact.

Simpson seat belts became one of the standards of the motorsport industry, but a belt failure during Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident in Daytona in 2001 led NASCAR to determine that it was a factor in his death.

Simpson said the failure was not due to a manufacturing defect, but rather a faulty installation, as Earnhardt preferred the greater convenience of a custom installation.

After Simpson tried to sue NASCAR for $ 8.5 million, he got out of court but left Simpson Performance Products.

Subsequent medical examinations of the accident revealed that a skull basilar fracture was the cause of Earnhardt’s death due to inadequate head and neck supports.

Simpson founded the safety equipment company Impact! and continued efforts to improve driver safety.

He entered the Motorsports Hall of Fame in America in 2003 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2014.

He also developed lighter and stronger American football helmets as players with concussions became more important.

Another notable high in Simpson’s career was providing a car for four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears for his first Indycar start in the 1976 Ontario 500.

Simpson recorded his life in the books “Racing Racing, Living Dangerously” and the sequel “Through the Fire”.

A celebration of Simpsons life is planned for May 2020 at the IMS Museum.