by Brad Keppel  |  About The Author   |  Discuss

Exclusive Speedway Media photo by Greg Arthur

When four time Sprint Cup champion had an ugly looking crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this season he expressed concerns that there were no “SAFER” barriers in place where he hit the wall. It appears that Lowes Motor Speedway President and General Manager HA "Humpy" Wheeler listened to his concerns. Lowes Motor Speedway announced earlier this week that they are adding "SAFER barriers" along 340 feet of the backstretch at the 1.5 mile track. The new soft walls will be installed before the May NASCAR Sprint All Star race and the Coca- Cola 600. The openings used by the safety vehicles (the area which Gordon’s car hit at Las Vegas) will also have some modifications to it as well. Wheeler said, “They are doing a study on that part of the back stretch and will have that complete" before race weeks in Charlotte. Jeff Burton, driver of the AT&T sponsored no. 31 was on hand to help Humpy install a section of the wall. Burton has been a advocate for safety for some time now. He said, "I'm glad that I do not have to lead the charge for safety in our sport anymore. The tracks are also thinking of the safety of the competitors now."

Speedway Media photo by Brad Keppel

Burton seems to be handy with his hands, besides driver racecars and installing SAFER Barriers he served lunch for the media that were on hand. He looked pretty comfortable with the tongs in his hand as he served hamburgers. Wheeler was in charge of the hot dogs and nobody left hungry. I think the SAFER barriers are a great addition to the backstretch, especially before the running of the All Star race. When you have a winner “takes all race” anything can and will happen. I just hope that the other track owners follow suit for the safety of the stars in the sport we all love.

Speedway Media photo by Brad Keppel

You can contact Brad at bkeppel@speedwaymedia.com

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher.  All comments other than website related problems need to be directed to the author.  Copyright 2000-2008 SpeedwayMedia.com.

More by this author: