NASCAR discusses safety with Gordon, Newman

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said Monday that officials met with Ryan Newman last week to examine safety enhancements. The meeting comes ahead of a similar visit planned Tuesday with Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion in his last full season of competition.
 
O'Donnell said officials welcomed Newman "and walked him through the plans that the tracks are making, and it's a very similar situation here where we talked to Jeff throughout the week. (Gordon) was interested in our plans and we invited him to the R&D Center. He's a busy guy, but taking the time to meet with our staff there is a great opportunity for us to walk him through what plans are in place and get his feedback. We've certainly got a great deal of knowledge within the space, so we can lay out our plans and bounce those off of him, get his feedback and apply what we can from those learnings in the meeting."
 
Gordon made heavy contact with a concrete wall unprotected by a Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier system during the series' second race of the year at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The crash renewed the call for expanded coverage with energy-absorbing walls, a measure that several tracks on the schedule have accommodated with short-term additions of tire barriers as well as plans for longer-term SAFER extensions.
 
"We'll go from there, but it's really just getting on the same page in terms of what's planned from a safety standpoint at each of the tracks coming up," O'Donnell said, "and we'll also talk to him about the new rules package, what he's feeling in the car and get feedback from there."
 
O'Donnell also said that NASCAR officials expected to receive a report Monday on suspended driver Kurt Busch's progress toward potential reinstatement. Busch -- suspended Feb. 20 after a Delaware family court's findings were released, detailing the "preponderance of the evidence" indicated that he "committed an act of domestic violence" -- applied for reinstatement Feb. 27, setting in motion an individually tailored program in consultation with an outside expert toward the ultimate goal of regaining his NASCAR competition license.

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"Each case is unique and so there's a specific plan spelled out for Kurt," O'Donnell said. "He signed on to that plan, and we expect to hear back actually today where he is on making progress there, so we're eager to hear as well from the program that was laid out for Kurt and go from there."

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