After hitting a concrete wall at Atlanta, Jeff Gordon said Friday that he will be meeting with NASCAR next week to discuss “safety initiatives.” SAFER barriers, which were first installed in 2002, will be the topic of discussion.
NASCAR announced that Gordon will meet with the executive vice president, Steve O’Donnell, on Tuesday.
“The one thing I would question was when did SAFER barriers start being put at racetracks, and what was the plan for them to be complete, and where are we in that plan?” Gordon said. “I was under the impression when they started going in, it was going to be three- or four-year plan to complete the SAFER barriers on every wall that needed a SAFER barrier.”
SAFER barriers were one of the many safety initiatives that came about after Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001 in an accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
Gordon, who has said this will be his final year in full-time racing, said there’s an incredible difference in impact when a driver hits an unprotected wall.
“What always comes to mind to me, when I hit a non-SAFER barrier wall, I go, ‘Wow what did I just hit?’ ” Gordon said. “I’m always caught off guard by the impact and how severe it is.
Hopefully, more safety initiatives will be improved and taken for the racers.
Source: AP News