SAFETY NET
The first archived images of Big Red with a window net are from the NORC (Nevada Open Road Challenge) in May 1991. Dan or RJ selected a red color to match the car. Since then, the safety/window nets have been black. A window net’s purpose is to keep a driver’s arms inside the vehicle in case of a crash. The other purposes are a little more specific to NASCAR: the net keeps debris from entering the car, and after a crash, the lowering of a window net is a sign that the driver is uninjured.
Mark fit a window net for the passenger side, just in the rare chance a passenger seat is installed in Big Red again in the future. It’s better to plan for the window net and perform the fabrication at this point, prior to powdercoating the cage. Mark
and Tim use a large piece of cardboard to create a template for the in-car safety net. It was installed for running Bonneville, but RJ likes the security it offers, so they install it even when Big Red is the only car on the track. When other racers are on the track, RJ needs more visibility from his mirrors. The in-car net isn’t something DJ Safety (Big Red’s go-to safety restraint company) offers, but built it custom from the supplied cardboard template. The driver’s-side window net also is custom made for Big Red’s rollcage.
SCTA rules stipulate that all safety-net hardware must be installed with latches inside the plane of the rollcage. That way, latches can’t be damaged or blocked in a crash. With safety obviously important to the team, they also installed safety stickers around the cockpit. One of those stickers instructs the safety crew how to release the in-car safety net if they are
entering from the passenger side of the car. All the safety nets are held in by rods and quick-release seatbelt latches.
