- For the football player of the same name see Bill Simpson (American football). William Thomas "Bill" Simpson (born December 5, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former professional American football
Bill Simpson (born March 14, 1940, Hermosa Beach, California), is a retired American racecar driver, but is best known as a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hermosa Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Simpson Performance Products is an American motorsports parts supplier He is inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends
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Racing career
Simpson started in drag racing and SCCA Formula racing, eventually moving up to the USAC Championship Car series. Drag racing is a competition in which objects compete to be the first to cross a set finish mark usually from a dead stop and in a straight line The Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA) is a club and sanctioning body supporting Road racing, rally, and Autocross in the United States The United States Automobile Club (USAC is an Open-wheel Auto racing sanctioning body Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national Automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level single-seat Open wheel He raced in the 1968-1974 and 1976-1977 seasons, with 52 career starts. He qualified twentieth for the 1974 Indianapolis 500, and finished thirteenth. Results of the 1974 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday May 26, 1974. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1970 at Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Mile is a Race track in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA He decided to end his racing career in 1977, because he started to think about a telephone call that he needed to make while he was practicing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway Indiana (an Enclave of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the
Race safety advocate
In 1958, the 18 year old Simpson broke both arms in a drag racing crash. [1] Simpson later said, "Until then, I was like most drivers. The only time I thought about safety was after I'd been hurt. This time, I was hurt bad enough to do a lot of thinking. " [1]
Simpson's uncle owned a military surplus store, and suggested that he use a cross-form parachute to slow down the drag car. Simpson rented a sewing machine to create a prototype. Simpson got together with his friend dragster driver Mike Sorokin to test the prototype. They tested it by attaching it to a tow hitch, and dumping it from the back of the Chevy wagon while Sorokin drove down a street at 100 mph. The chute was too big for car, and the car went airborne and crashed into a tree nursery. Both racers were jailed for the incident, but Simpson Drag Chutes was founded. [2]
The first person to inquire about and use his parachute was "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa Florida) is considered the father of Drag racing. [3] He evolved his business into a number of other safety items, such as gloves, helmets, restraints and shoes. Simpson designed NASA's first umbilical cords, where he met Pete Conrad. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr ( June 2, 1930 &ndash July 8, 1999) was an American Astronaut and the third [3] Conrad introduced Simpson to DuPont product Nomex in 1967. E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (,) is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a Gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée Nomex (styled NOMEX) is a registered Trademark for flame resistant meta- Aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed Simpson used the product to create the first fire suit to be used in racing. [1] [3] He took the suit to the 1967 Indianapolis 500 where it was worn by 30 of 33 drivers. Race Summary This unexpected 2 day event began with gray skies but the race was underway as Parnelli Jones (the 6th qualifer in the race is in first place before half a lap with Gurney [1] Simpson had developed over 200 racing safety products, including three generations of fire suits. Simpson demonstrated the suit's effectiveness in 1987, when he was set on fire while wearing a suit. [4]
Earnhardt controversy
Simpson Performance Products was involved in a great deal of controversy in the February 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt. The death of Dale Earnhardt Sr on February 18, 2001 was a significant event in NASCAR and American sporting history which resulted in the Simpson Performance Products is an American motorsports parts supplier Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr ( April 29, 1951 &ndash February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver best known for his career driving There was a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not a seat belt manufactured by the company had malfunctioned. A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a Safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a Vehicle against harmful movement that may result from [4] NASCAR's investigation into the crash in part blamed seat belt failure. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. [4] Simpson received death threats and bullets into his house, which led to his resignation in July 2001. [4] Simpson sued NASCAR for $8. 5 million defamation of character suit. [4] Simpson withdrew his lawsuit with an undisclosed settlement. [3]
Simpson now heads Impact! Racing, which began competing with his old firm after a one year no-competition clause. He has designed a new helmet, and a head and neck restraint system.
Career award
In 2003, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in the "at large" category. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends
Author
He is the author of the book "Racing Safely, Living Dangerously".
References
- ^ a b c d Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Retrieved January 8, 2007
- ^ [1] Jim Donnelly, Muscle Machines 1203 Hot Rod Hero: Bill Simpson
- ^ a b c d [2] Lori Lovely, "Nuvo Safety Spelled S-i-m-p-s-o-n"
- ^ a b c d e [3] Joanne Korth; "Bill Simpson is glad to be back"; August 21, 2002 St. Petersburg Times
External links
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The St Petersburg Times is a daily Newspaper based in St Petersburg Florida, that serves the larger Tampa Bay areaDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic