devices. In January 2005 prior to the 2005 season, NASCAR banned use of the Hutchens device and mandated use of the HANS. The Hutchens device was said to have failed two of the three tests performed by NASCAR and the SFI Foundation, under new standards for head-and-neck restraints implemented for the 2005 season. By this time, only Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Rusty Wallace were known to use the Hutchens device. Ashline would go on to develop the R3 and Hutchens II head-and-neck devices, and in 2007 created the Hutchens Hybrid device which was approved by NASCAR. In May 2011, Safety Solutions was purchased by Simpson Performance Products. Simpson would also purchase HANS Performance Products in 2012. References External links Hutchens device website Auto racing equipment Vehicle safety technologies