Earnhardt Jr. Wears Head-Neck Device

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wore a head-and-neck-restraint system in the Pepsi 400 on Sunday, six months after his father died of a skull fracture in a crash at the Daytona 500.

It’s the first time Earnhardt Jr. has raced with the safety device in his brief Winston Cup career and came two days before NASCAR is scheduled to release a report on the fatal accident involving Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“It hurts a little,” Earnhardt Jr. said during a rain delay. “It’s uncomfortable but I’m going to make it work.”

The elder Earnhardt died of a fracture at the base of his skull after his head was whipped forward when his car hit the final-turn wall at Daytona on Feb. 18. He didn’t use a restraint system and, like his son, opted for an open-faced helmet.

A majority of NASCAR drivers use full-faced helmets.

Jade Gurss, a spokesman for the younger Earnhardt’s team, said last-minute adjustments had to be made to make the device more comfortable.

Gurss said Earnhardt used the Hutchens Device in practice Saturday, the first time he tested it.

“He liked it,” Gurss said. “There’s about six or seven different areas of adjustments on the device, so we’ve got to work on those to make it better for him.”

Gurss said Earnhardt Jr.’s decision was made after at least three drivers asked him to try it.

“I can say there’s a couple of us that have suggested it to him because we care about him,” Dale Jarrett said Saturday. “There’s two guys right now that drive this sport, and that’s Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. And we want to keep those guys around here.”

Gurss said Jarrett, Gordon and Jeff Burton spoke with Earnhardt Jr. about the system.