Bristol begins installation of SAFER barriers

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Crashing into the walls at Bristol Motor Speedway is about to get a little safer.

Crews began installing the Steel And Foam Energy Reduction barrier system, known as SAFER, on Wednesday at the half-mile oval. Installation should take two weeks, and NASCAR's first visit to the track will be April 2 and 3.

"NASCAR wants the SAFER barriers at every track, and we're putting them in," said Lori Worley, the track's senior manager of media and public relations. "We want the best we can possibly offer in terms of safety."

The short track doesn't allow drivers to reach the high speeds of a superspeedway, but Bristol has been the scene of intense crashes, including one by Kyle Petty in March 2003 that at that time was the hardest hit seen by NASCAR.

The SAFER barrier system is made up of steel tubes and pads of hard foam affixed to a speedway's concrete walls to absorb some of the energy that is transferred during a crash.

A total of 2,668 feet of new wall will be installed with the barriers placed on the exterior walls at both ends of the speedway and at the beginning of the straightaways. The inside retaining wall on the back straightaway also will outfitted with the system.

Worley said neither drivers nor fans will see a difference. The track was widened by 4 feet when the grandstands were expanded a few years ago.