I thought in modern times, they don't, like at Pocono for example?

Petty started running up against the wall in the turns after he clobbered the wall at Daytona I believe in 1967, and hurt his neck, to lesson the impaxt angle I believe, and he also post wreck fabricated the "petty strap" ( a crude precurser to a HANS?)

Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.