flipped on its roof after Alexander went into the wall, but he was in the lead when the race was halted with four laps to go. Due to carnage of the accident, the race was never restarted, so Earnhardt was declared the winner. NASCAR mandated use of the HANS device in its top three series on October 17, 2001. Formula One mandated HANS devices in 2003 after extensive testing by Mercedes from 1996 to 1998, sharing the results with other Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) affiliates. Using that information, CART made the device compulsory for oval tracks in 2001, and subsequently requiring the HANS devices for all circuits the following season. Starting in October 2001, NASCAR mandated the use of either the HANS or Hutchens device, changing to the HANS device exclusively starting in 2005. ARCA also followed suit in the wake of Alexander's death. The World Rally Championship and Australian V8 Supercar Series made the device compulsory for drivers in the 2005 season. Acceptance by drivers was helped by the addition of quick-release shackles developed and implemented by Ashley Tilling. They were sourced from the marine industry, being used on racing sailboat rigging. The shackles allowed the drivers a simple and quick pull to release the HANS device and exit their vehicle. The first driver to utilize them was NASCAR driver Scott Pruett of PPI Motorsports. Such shackles were also used on the Hutchens device and others. Beginning in July 2007, many sanctioning bodies have approved any head-and-neck restraint that passes the SFI Foundation Specification 38.1 standard. These include the HANS device, the Moto-R Sport, the R3, the Hutch-II, the Hutchens Hybrid, or the Hybrid X. Today, most major auto racing sanctioning bodies mandate the use of head and neck restraints; the FIA has made HANS devices use compulsory for all International-level events from the beginning of 2009. Even monster truck drivers use the HANS device in many events. Grassroots Motorsports awarded the HANS device the Editors' Choice award in 2002. Autosport magazine also awarded HANS their pioneering and innovation award in 2007. References Schilke, Nancy (2001). "The HANS Device – a head and neck support system", referenced January 23, 2005. Stonefeld, Ross (2001). "Helping HANS" External links Official site HANS from f1.com "Helping HANS" at Atlas F1 "Notes: Wallace easing into new HANS device" at NASCAR.com Head and neck restraint at Trackpedia HANS in F1 HANS from f1.com