The Daytona crash investigation will focus on the gate area of the fencing and how improvements can be made before the next superspeedway race at Talladega, Ala., in May, NASCAR senior vice president Steve O’Donnell said Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.
A terrifying last-lap crash one week ago in the Nationwide race at Daytona caused parts of a car to break through the frontstretch catch fence, injuring 28 spectators, including two critically. O’Donnell said those two individuals are the only people who remain hospitalized, but added, “We are optimistic of their release, as well.” O’Donnell said Dr. Dean Sicking, designer of the SAFER barrier, along with engineers from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, have been brought in as part of the investigation.
“We’ve had multiple meetings this week,” O’Donnell said. “Superspeedway racing at Daytona and Talladega is the first concentration for us. We have a race coming up in May at Talladega, so anything we can learn to apply at Talladega, we will do that.” (ESPN.com)
