Column: Jim Downing, a sports hero we should never forget
FILE- In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, Darrell Wallace Jr., right, prepares put on his HANS device equipped helmet before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE- In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, Darrell Wallace Jr., right, prepares put on his HANS device equipped helmet before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Sep. 03, 2021 02:39 PM EDT
A HANS (Head And Neck Support) device is shown Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

A HANS (Head And Neck Support) device is shown Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Sep. 03, 2021 12:49 PM EDT
Jim Downing poses with the HANS (Head And Neck Support) device he co-invented with his brother-in-law, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, at his race shop in Atlanta. The device keeps a driver's head from violently snapping forward in an accident and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Jim Downing poses with the HANS (Head And Neck Support) device he co-invented with his brother-in-law, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, at his race shop in Atlanta. The device keeps a driver's head from violently snapping forward in an accident and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Sep. 03, 2021 12:49 PM EDT
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2011, file photo, NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick's HANS device equipped helmet rests on the roof of his race car before practice for the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2011, file photo, NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick's HANS device equipped helmet rests on the roof of his race car before practice for the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

Sep. 03, 2021 02:39 PM EDT
FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2001, file photo, workers try to remove Dale Earnhardt (3) from his vehicle after a crash also involving Ken Schrader (36) during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Since its widespread introduction two decades ago, sparked by the stunning death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the HANS device has become a standard piece of safety equipment in pretty much all forms of racing. (AP Photo/Greg Suvino, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2001, file photo, workers try to remove Dale Earnhardt (3) from his vehicle after a crash also involving Ken Schrader (36) during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Since its widespread introduction two decades ago, sparked by the stunning death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the HANS device has become a standard piece of safety equipment in pretty much all forms of racing. (AP Photo/Greg Suvino, File)

Sep. 03, 2021 02:39 PM EDT