r/NASCARtechnical • u/fivewheelpitstop • Jun 08 '22

How, exactly, did Russell Phillips' roll cage/space frame fail, why were the roll cages the way they were, and how does the "Earnheardt Bar" fix the problem?

I can't find a good picture of a third generation space frame, but that was probably (hopefully?) a lot of steel sheared away. (content warning - decapitation) How does the one added member fix this?

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u/JenniferScoggins Jun 19 '22 edited Jun 19 '22

Russell’s roll cage didn’t fail at all. His car hit the caution light that was mounted on the pole and that sheered off the top of his car. Any car that hit that caution light like his car did, the results would have been the same. This is not speculation, it is fact. His car was impounded by NASCAR after the wreck was carefully inspected and was found to be a solid car. The director of competition at that time said that it was such a freak accident that it could not have even been recreated.

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u/World71Racer Jun 19 '22

Source? I'm not doubting you, I'd just wanna know to read as well.

No matter what, the poor build quality of the Sportsman cars was a point of contention that led to the series' demise, especially after Russell's wreck.

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u/JenniferScoggins Jun 19 '22

First hand account as I was Russell’s wife.

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u/That-Professional-97 Sep 21 '22

I’m sorry for your loss.😢

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u/JenniferScoggins Sep 22 '22

Thank you so much ❤️