Safer Wall coming to Richmond

  • Thread starter Nascar24rainbow
  • Start date
N

Nascar24rainbow

Guest
A major safety upgrade awaits Richmond International Raceway, which will become the first short track fitted with the energy-absorbing Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier in the coming weeks. The 0.75-mile oval, where a handful of NASCAR's most violent crashes have occurred the past two years, will have the SAFER system in place for its NASCAR tripleheader Sept. 4-6 [Cup,Busch,Trucks]. The barrier, which relies on steel tubes and foam to absorb the impact of a crash, will be attached to the outside walls in two 1,100-foot sections that will cover the track's four turns. RIR President Doug Fritz said construction would begin a few weeks before the race weekend, which will feature NASCAR's top three touring series. "We're proud to be one of the first tracks to have the system installed," Fritz said. "The installation of this state-of-the-art safety system is an example of Richmond International Raceway and International Speedway Corp.'s ongoing commitment to driver safety." The "soft wall technology" has proved highly effective since being installed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2002. Several Indy Racing League and Winston Cup drivers have endured hard collisions at IMS in the past year, but there have been no serious injuries. Because the barrier originally was designed for Indianapolis' 2.5-mile oval, months of testing were required to adapt SAFER for shorter tracks. Dr. Dean Sicking, who was commissioned by the IRL in 1998 to build the barrier, led a team of researchers that conducted several tests on a replica of an RIR wall at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility in Lincoln, Neb. NASCAR President Mike Helton recently said the goal is to erect the SAFER barrier at several tracks by next spring. New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1-mile oval where Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. were killed in separate crashes in 2000, likely is next to implement the SAFER barrier, possibly for its Sept. 15 Winston Cup race.


Its good to see that all the test on the safer barries went well and that they now can use it at more of the tracks.
 
I agree it is a good thing they are starting to put it up at more tracks! I wonder how many othe r tracks will start to put them up!
 
It looks like Richmond isn't the only track getting the SAFER Barrier this year. New Hampshire also announced plans to have the SAFER barrier in place this year.


New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) has announced plans to install the SAFER barrier. "We are very pleased to announce that following Dr. Dean L. Sicking's recommendation to NASCAR, we will be installing the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier at New Hampshire International Speedway," said Bob Bahre, Chairman of the Board. Dr. Sicking, the Director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has developed the barrier that will be attached to the outside walls at NHIS. The SAFER barrier will cover all four of the track's turns. "It is our plan to have the SAFER barrier in place for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend this September," Bahre stated. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend, from Thursday, September 11 through Sunday, September 14, will also feature the New Hampshire 200 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; the New Hampshire 125 for the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series; and the New Hampshire 100 for the Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring.
 
Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the third track this year to get the SAFER barrier installed. NASCAR has chosen this track as well as Richmond and New Hampshire to be a part of its safety study in a "real-world environment.'' It is great to see NASCAR put up the SAFER barrier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom