The installation of 2,866 feet of additional SAFER Barrier should be completed by Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway, in time for the upcoming AAA Texas 500 tripleheader weekend Nov. 5-8.
Track officials issued a media release on Wednesday saying that SAFER Barrier has been placed on interior and exterior walls of the 1.5-mile oval. SAFER Barrier will also protect three exterior sections of the dogleg on the frontstretch, including across from the entry and exit points of pit road as well as the start/finish line.
Also included are the entire inside wall of the backstretch (covering from Turn 2 to Turn 3), the inside entry wall in Turn 3 and the interior walls at both the entry and exit points of pit road.
Track officials said the installation of an additional 2,103 feet of safety barrier will be in place prior to next April’s Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup race.
SAFER Barrier, also known as “soft wall,” absorbs kinetic energy when a race car comes into contact with it, enhancing the safety of drivers and reducing the chance of injury.
The barrier is made up of sections of steel tubing and foam blocks that are placed 2 ½ feet in front of cement retaining walls at race tracks as a protective and cushioning device.
The product has been used since 2002 and was developed by a team of engineers from the University of Nebraska.
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