Steve O’Donnell, VP of NASCAR Racing Operations: “If the safer barrier needs to be in there we’ll make that happen”
NASCAR is a leader in racing safety. They have been, for nearly 20 years.
So, when you see a huge impact to a concrete wall from a racing driver, it’s rare. Such was the case for Kasey Kahne at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday.
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR VP of Racing Operations is engaging in the conversation. He spoke on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio this morning about the impact and what safety measures might need to be taken in the future.
Related: Kasey Kahne Crash Video
Steve O’Donnell: “I think a lot of times fans think that NASCAR’s the only racing that occurs on a specific track. When we’re at at track like Sonoma, you know, every day there’s something different going on at that facility.”
“What we’ve gotta do is think about all those factors. And when we race, how does it impact our product and the track?”
“We have, what we believe, to be the safest conditions going into that facility. Anytime you see a hit like that obviously you’re going to learn and react and see what we can do.”
“In this case, that’s something we’ll take a quick look at, for sure.”
“Looking at the angle, one of the things on road courses you gotta keep in mind is the trajectory of the hit. When a car bounces off the wall, does it come right back into the racing surface?”
“That’s a tight area potentially at Sonoma. But I think you’ll see us react quickly with the safety.
The NASCAR executive concludes, “If the safer barrier needs to be in there we’ll make that happen for sure.”
Links
Kasey Kahne
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Hendrick Motorsports
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