Five Years Later: Is the sport SAFER?

Since the first automobile competition more than a century ago, racing has always contained an element of danger. When you run a car near the limits of its performance, accidents will happen. That's part of the allure for spectators.

However, it's the sanctioning body's role to find ways to allow drivers to walk away from those accidents. In the five years since the 2001 Daytona 500, safety has been at the forefront of NASCAR's priorities -- mainly in three key areas: the driver, the car and the track.

"The last five years, we've seen a tremendous influx of technology and components that have really raised the bar of safety," said Gary Nelson, NASCAR vice president for research and development.

Before the Earnhardt accident, teams were required to use seat belts and seats, but the safety equipment didn't always work together, Nelson said.

"The No. 1 area where we have advanced is driver restraint systems, which includes seatbelts, the seats and head and neck restraints," he said. "We've developed a set of rules that allow each item to complement the others.

"So now we've got seat belts and restraints that complement the seats and vice-versa. The head and neck restraint fits into that package perfectly."

Through its research and design department, NASCAR found safety modifications for the cars.

"Much of the things we've come across are the result of the Car of Tomorrow," Nelson said. "Some of the things we've found would apply to the car of today, so we've put them to work."

One is an automatic fire extinguishing system that doubles the capacity available and directs the spray where it's needed most.

"If there was a fire in the past, the fire extinguisher's job was to basically spray the driver's compartment," Nelson said. "But the source of the fire is usually outside the driver's compartment.

"What we've done is to add an extinguisher at the source of the problem, which is usually where the fuel is. The extinguisher is triggered by the same thing you see in the ceilings of public buildings: it senses heat."

Changes to NASCAR's rules, especially concerning racing back to the caution flag, have resulted in safer conditions for both drivers and rescue workers.

The issue came to a head near the end of the 2003 season, when Dale Jarrett spun at New Hampshire and a pack of cars racing back to the yellow narrowly avoided hitting his car as it sat in the middle of the racing groove. One week later, NASCAR president Mike Helton announced that the long-time practice would be eliminated.

"I think Mike Helton made an awesome decision by not racing back to the yellow flag," Rusty Wallace said at the time. "Man, there are too many almost major crashes that happen when guys try to do that. Some of these guys who are jumping on the gas so early are causing a hell of a wreck behind them.

"Finally, NASCAR said, 'That's enough. We'll take it into our own hands. When the caution flag comes out, everyone will hold their position.' "

The rule change had another positive effect -- allowing safety crews to reach the scene of the incident more quickly.

"They couldn't get everybody out there because these guys were still racing hard and running all over the racetrack," Wallace said. "Now, when that caution comes out we all slow down right now. We can move those emergency vehicles where they need to go. That's smart."

But the biggest improvement in driver safety over the past five years is the result of the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier, developed by the University of Nebraska's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility and first installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002.

Now a fixture at every oval track on which NASCAR races, telemetry from accidents has shown SAFER Barriers significantly reduce the forces that cause injuries in high-speed accidents.

"We have been very pleased with the performance of the SAFER Barrier," said Dr. Dean Sicking, director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. "There have been several SAFER Barrier crashes under extreme impact conditions where the barrier’s performance has far exceeded my expectations.

"Since its installation several years ago, NASCAR's top three series and Indy Racing League have not experienced a barrier-related fatality. If you look back through recent history prior to the SAFER Barrier development, the majority of fatalities in these series have been barrier related."

In fact, Sicking said the number of serious injuries involving barrier crashes have been dramatically reduced during that same time frame.

"I believe that the SAFER Barrier has out performed everyone's expectations and, whether the drivers realize it or not, the SAFER Barrier has greatly improved their chances of walking away from a major crash," Sicking said.

Nelson agreed.

"As soon as we went to the SAFER wall, we saw significant reduction in loads," he said. "That told us right away that the SAFER wall was doing a better job than we anticipated.

"Those are the kind of surprises you like. That's what you dream of."

Even though the sport has made what appear to be significant improvements in safety since 2001, both Sicking and Nelson say their tasks are not completed.

"A combination of field data and our efforts to reconstruct these crashes have convinced me that the foam energy absorbers can be improved," Sicking said. "We are working to develop a new foam energy absorber configuration.

"If the revision proves to be beneficial, it would only require that tracks change the energy absorbing blocks. However, full-scale crash testing must be conducted to verify performance."

"It's a never-ending process to find ways to use new technology to improve safety," Nelson added. "At any point along the safety timeline, you can find quotes about 'this being state-of-the-art' in safety.

"Things are going to get better. The only way to apply the information is to stay on top of it. That's what we're doing ... putting a lot of effort and resources into it."