Brendan Gaughan will be the first NASCAR driver to wear the R3 Hybrid Head & Neck Restraint by Safety Solutions at Kentucky Speedway this weekend.

Gaughan, who drives the No. 77 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado, made the switch to the newly approved device after practicing with it at the 1.5-mile track earlier today [Saturday].

“I originally wasn’t going to switch this weekend because I wasn’t sure if it was legal and I wanted to make sure that everything had been cleared with NASCAR before I made the change,” Gaughan said.

“The guys from Safety Solutions sent me a new device to the race track here at Kentucky. This one was thinner than the one I tested at Charlotte and it didn’t require as much extra work to make it fit in the seat. I tried it in practice, and it feels great. It’s just like it used to be with the seat belts close to my body again.”

Gaughan has been outspoken in the past about struggling with the fit of the HANS device and his comfort level with it in the race truck. The new R3 Hybrid will alleviate that problem, Gaughan said.

“I’ve had some of my own opinions about them, and I know that other people don’t always agree with me – but I want to be comfortable and safe in my head and neck restraint,” Gaughan said. “They showed me the SFI numbers for the device, and I believe it is the safest device now out there. It also happens to be most comfortable for me.”