Fontana now adds SAFER walls
California Speedway President Bill Miller announced today that installation of the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) wall is scheduled to begin at the superspeedway in early April, with an anticipated completion date prior to the April 30-May 2nd Auto Club 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series weekend.
"We look forward to the construction and installation of the SAFER wall getting under way at California Speedway," said Miller. "We all know that safety is paramount in our sport, and this is another positive step going forward. We applaud all those involved in constructing this system and its installation at California Speedway."
Two sets of barriers will be placed along the turns at the two-mile oval, with the first set starting at the entrance of turn one and running continuously to the exit of turn two. The second set will start at the entrance of turn three and run continuously to the exit of turn four. A third set of barriers will be placed on the inside retaining wall off the exit of turn two, extending approximately two-thirds of the way down the backstretch.
Made up of steel tubes and pads of hard foam, which are affixed to the concrete walls, the SAFER barrier system was designed by Dr. Dean Sicking and a team under his direction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The wall is designed to absorb some of the energy that is transferred during a crash. In 2003, Dr. Sicking, and his team, were honored with NASCAR's Award of Excellence for their efforts in safety.
California Speedway joins a growing list of racing facilities already with the system or planning to install the system.
In 2002, Indianapolis Motor Speedway debuted the SAFER walls through its four corners for the Indianapolis 500. Talladega Superspeedway followed with SAFER walls on the inside retaining walls of its layout at the exit of turn four and the entrance of turn one for its October NASCAR race in 2002, and will complete installation on the outside walls in the turns prior to its upcoming April NASCAR event.
Darlington Raceway announced the installation of its SAFER walls last month.
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