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There was a lot of concern surrounding the installation of the SAFER barriers at the Darlington Raceway. The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barriers have proven to be a huge success throughout the NASCAR circuit. The 1.336 mile egg shaped Darlington track was thought to be another story. The racing groove was very narrow at the facility to begin with, and the additions of the SAFER barriers jutting out 30 inches into the track from the already tight walls were a major concern.
Some drivers and NASCAR insiders made it known that the walls should have been moved inward to allow for the distance of the barriers before they were installed. While that sounds like a great solution in keeping the racing groove as wide as it was, it would have been a financial nightmare and also a time consuming task that would have also involved moving and rebuilding the catch fence. Due to the different track configuration, NASCAR President Mike Helton allowed teams an extra day of practice and\or testing. No teams have been able to test the new tires and reduced spoiler set up there because the track has been unusable while the SAFER barriers were being installed. While he was at it, he also made it known that the sanctioning body was allowing teams more tires, which will be a boon to the Busch Series competitors. To be sure, with qualifying speeds at Darlington usually near the 170 mile per hour mark, the SAFER barriers were definitely needed at the facility. Even though it changed the racing at the track, it's much better to race safely, than to boast a two lane racing groove. The new configuration offered a challenge to the competitors in finding areas on the track where they could make successful passes. After the event, it was evident that the new barriers didn't really affect the outcome of the event. Jimmy Johnson fought off hard charging Bobby Labonte after a late race restart with four laps remaining to take the checkered flag. The only thing that really stood out concerning the SAFER barriers were the slower cars causing problems. With the track narrower, there wasn't as much room as usual for them to get out of the faster competitors way. Tony Stewart got into the back of the slow car driven by Andy Hillenberg, spinning him around in front of Jeff Gordon. The wreck took Gordon out of the race before the 30th lap. In a post race interview after exiting the infield care center, Gordon stated that NASCAR needed to do something to alleviate the problem caused by the slow cars getting in the competitors way. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article SAFER Barrier Passes Muster in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish SAFER Barrier Passes Muster in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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