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Danica Patrick: SAFER barriers "should be mandatory"
Friday’s multi-car wreck in Sprint Cup Series practice has once again raised the issue about the absence of SAFER barriers in some areas of NASCAR tracks.
Jim Utter
Edited: May 13, 2016, 9:07 PM
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The three-car wreck in first practice involving Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray sent Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet into an area of concrete wall on the exit to Turn 4 that remains uncovered by SAFER barrier.
It shouldn’t even be a question
Danica Patrick
Ironically enough, Dover (Del.) International Speedway recently completed an addition of nearly 480 feet of energy-absorbing barriers, including a 401-foot section in front of a new, steel post inside wall on a new area of concrete at the entrance to Turn 3.
An additional 78 feet of SAFER barriers – all 40 inches high – were added to the existing inside backstretch wall.
Danica Patrick makes her opinion known
The wreck began when Patrick’s car exited Turn 4, burst in flames and dropped rear-end grease on the track, which set Stewart and McMurray wrecking themselves (WATCH CRASH HERE).
“I mean I know from the Talladega experience and all the experiences I’ve had hitting the wall, the ones where you hit the wall I think I saw it’s about twice the G-load impact when you hit a non-SAFER barrier,” Patrick said after the accident.
“It shouldn’t even be a question whether or not tracks have SAFER barrier all the way around. It should be mandatory. It shouldn’t be a financial decision.”
Although a bruised elbow for McMurray appeared to be the extent of injuries for those involved, Stewart is in a particularly precarious position, having underdone serious back surgery in late January. He only returned to active competition three weeks ago.
Former series champions comment
“I just assumed that every wall had a SAFER barrier attached to it. It sounds like that might not be the case,” said six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. “These straightaways are so narrow that the impact angle is very forgiving and I think that I’m less concerned here with the inside wall than I would be at some other tracks.
“The outside wall here doesn’t bother me too much that it doesn’t have the SAFER barrier on it. It’s not like a 1.5-mile where we have the D-shaped front straightaway and you actually get away from the wall and if something went wrong again, have a terrible angle at the wall.”
Even so, Johnson said, he would prefer tracks error on the side of safety.
“I would take a soft wall over a hard wall any day in any situation,” he said. “I did hear there were some improvements made, but I’m not overly concerned here. I guess I understand why there isn’t (any barriers) on the front stretch here.”
Said 2014 Cup series champion Kevin Harvick: "It's no excuse not to have them there, in my opinion."
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