Did Earnhardt alter seat belt?
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ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - 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.
NASCAR officials said Friday that Earnhardt was found with a broken seat belt after the wreck in which he was killed instantly.
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.
NASCAR spokesman John Griffin called reports that Earnhardt altered his seat belt speculation, but said stock car racing's governing body will continue investigating the wreckage of the car, which is housed at a NASCAR facility in Charlotte, N.C.
During a press conference at the North Carolina Speedway on Friday, NASCAR President Mike Helton and Winston Cup director Gary Nelson revealed that the webbing on the seven-time Winston Cup champion's lap belt broke, not the metal parts that hold it in place.
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.
Gordon wins Dura Lube pole
Jeff Gordon walked into the media center at North Carolina Speedway after winning the pole yesterday for the Dura Lube 400, wearing a baseball cap with a big No. 3 on the front.
"I put this hat on and let everybody know we're thinking of Dale," Gordon said. "I want to dedicate this pole to him."
Gordon turned a lap of 156.455 mph on the way to the 34th pole of his career and second on Rockingham's 1.017-mile oval. He barely nipped Steve Park, whose lap was 156.395 - just 0.009-seconds slower. Both drive Chevrolets.
"I think it's important to get your momentum started early, especially with the bad run we had last weekend," said Gordon, who finished 30th at Daytona after becoming entangled in a 19-car crash late in the race. "It's nice to be able to bounce back."
Bobby Labonte, the defending series champion, was third in a Pontiac at 156.068, followed by Ricky Rudd and Jeff Burton in Fords at 155.902 and 155.571, respectively.
Daytona winner Michael Waltrip, Park's teammate at Dale Earnhardt Inc., along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., caromed off the wall during the morning practice and bounced off again during his qualifying run. He still managed to put his Chevy into the field in seventh.
Dale Jr. qualified 25th and, after meeting with the media Friday for the first time since his father's death, had nothing more to say on that subject, for now.
Bodine takes ALLTEL 200
Todd Bodine gambled on a late stop and made it pay off with a victory in the ALLTEL 200 Busch Series race at North Carolina Speedway.
Bodine, a regular in NASCAR's Winston Cup series, was leading when rookie Scott Wimmer's car hit the wall on lap 183 of the 197-lap race.
Bodine pitted for four tires, while several other drivers, including defending series champion Jeff Green, stayed on the track. Defending series champion Jeff Green led and Bodine was sixth when the green flag waved for the start of lap 190. Within one trip around the 1.017-mile oval, he was second, trailing by less than a car-length. Bodine then charged past Green on lap 191 to take the lead for good.
The leader managed to avoid a five-car pileup on lap 193 and, with a two-lap sprint to the end following that final caution, beat Kevin Harvick - the driver replacing the late Dale Earnhardt in his Winston Cup ride - by 0.407 seconds - about seven car-lengths.
It was Bodine's seventh Busch Series victory. He averaged 112.049 mph.
Rookie Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., who started from the pole, was third. Biffle won the NASCAR Truck series championship last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.