Thank you Lance. These 1930's outlaw/sprint cars were sometimes referred to as "Death Sleds". Safety was practically nonexistent; A lot of jalopies on the track, many drivers did not wear helmets or just wore skull caps (though this one seems to have acquired a US military issue), and most drivers did not wear seat-belts as it was thought to be safer if the driver was thrown from the vehicle as it wrecked (unfortunately this often left drivers on the track). A lot like the early history of football, auto racing had it's share of fatalities.