Hans device used by Jeff Gordon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008

Hans device used by Jeff Gordon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008

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Description (Brief)
HANS device is a black, U-shaped piece of equipment used in the sport of auto racing to minimize head trauma during a crash. Jeff Gordon used this HANS device during a race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2008 and attributes it with saving his life that day. The device was designed by Dr. Robert Hubbard and manufactured at Downing Atlanta, Inc. where the donor, Jerry Lambert, is employed.
Jeff Gordon began racing quarter midget cars at age 5 and in 1991, he won rookie of the year driving the Carolina Ford Dealers car and the next year racing the Nestle Baby Ruth car, he won at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and was noticed by Rick Hendrick. Gordon became a member of Hendricks Motorsports, one of racing’s premier racing teams. Gordon would go on to become one of the best drivers in NASCAR history. He is 3rd on the all-time win list and has earned 93 NASCAR victories. He is a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion for the years 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. He won the Daytona 500 in 1997, 1999 and in 2005. He was a five-time Brickyard 500 winner for the years 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014 and a 7-time winner at Darlington Raceway, in 1995, the spring and fall of 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2007.
Location
Currently on loan
Object Name
HANS device, auto racing
Hans device
date made
2007
Physical Description
plastic (overall material)
metal (overall material)
nylon (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 6 1/2 in x 12 in x 13 in; 16.51 cm x 30.48 cm x 33.02 cm
ID Number
2017.0075.01
accession number
2017.0075
catalog number
2017.0075.01
Credit Line
Gift of Jerry Lambert
subject
auto racing
Professional
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
Sports & Leisure
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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