After Kyle Busch’s crash in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year, the wall was protected by a tire barrier before the Sprint Cup cars hit the track for the Daytona 500. Last week, it was announced that Phoenix International Raceway will do the same along the inside wall in Turn 4 before this weekend’s CampingWorld.com 500.
Tire barriers surround local tracks across the country, and similar barricades are used on road courses around the world. With these compression barriers, the idea is to add a cushion in front of concrete walls using tires or barrels of water or sand.
While the call for SAFER — Steel and Foam Energy Reduction — barriers to surround every track has been made by a number of drivers, installing steel and foam on every exposed concrete wall at every track isn’t as simple as it may seem.
SAFER barriers cost about $500 a square foot, according to Dr. Dean Sicking who designed the technology along with his team of engineers from the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While some are arguing that the cost is prohibitive for a lot of tracks, the cost isn’t really the issue in the long run. Instead, logistics stand in the way of quick installation for several reasons.
These softer walls are built from structural steel tubing and closed-cell polystyrene foam affixed to the existing concrete walls. When SAFER barriers were first required in the turns at all Sprint Cup tracks in 2005, it actually created a shortage of some of the materials. There wasn’t enough steel tubing available to cover all of the turns, much less surround every track with these barriers. Another shortage would be created if every track opted to add additional steel and foam walls during 2015.
In addition, SAFER barriers don’t go up overnight. Surveys must be done to ensure the walls can be installed and anchored to the existing wall, and then plans must be put into place to secure the steel and foam. Then, of course, comes paying for the barrier. Tracks that host NASCAR sanctioned events are evaluated each year for safety hazards. This is typically done before the end of the year, so that the track can budget any improvements for the following year.
In some cases, the need for barriers is fast-tracked. NASCAR, as well as track management, reviews each accident to determine if safety improvements would have lessened the impact. If necessary, improvements may be recommended. In some cases, such as the Kyle Busch crash at Daytona, it is obvious that some type of barrier is necessary as soon as possible. This is where compression barriers play a vital role. Tires walls are certainly cheaper than SAFER barriers, and are made of materials that are commonplace in the racing industry. Compression barriers absorb energy, but not as well as the SAFER barriers which were expertly engineered to lessen the impact from a crash.
For now, drivers and fans alike can expect to see tire barriers at almost every track they visit. In many cases, they are the best choice for improving driver safety until SAFER barriers can be installed on inside walls and other unprotected areas.