Texas installs tire barriers ahead of races

Tire bundles were added to five inner wall areas of the 1.5-mile oval. The locations, length of runs and general construction of the safety additions were per the instruction of NASCAR.

The inner wall at the pit lane exit was the most wide-ranging area with 115 feet of tire barriers added while the areas near the entrance to pit road, the jet truck staging area in Turn 1 and emergency vehicle cut-out areas in Turns 1 and 4 varied between 30 and 35 feet each. According to a track release, approximately 450 tires were used in constructing the barriers, which will serve to complement the existing and extensive SAFER barrier system that currently encompasses a majority of the walls at the track.

"NASCAR officials were here last Sunday and examined the speedway," Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said in a release provided by the track. "We always follow their advice on safety matters, but they requested we only add 250 feet of tire barriers. Considering that the inside wall and outside walls total almost 16,000 feet, adding 250 feet of tire packs is a minor addition. To me, that means NASCAR found the track to be extremely safe."

Following Kyle Busch's hard crash into a wall without SAFER barrier at Daytona International Speedway during the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener in February, NASCAR and tracks have been working together to make safety enhancements. Drivers have also been vocal about wanting to see more SAFER barriers at facilities.

The track will also host the XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 on April 10 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

MORE: