Safety features added at Michigan International Speedway
MIS extends pit wall prior to NASCAR events
Photo by: Ashley Dickerson, ASP Inc.
As a result of a pre-event review from the International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR, changes will be made to the pit wall at Michigan International Speedway in time for this weekend’s races, NASCAR and track officials confirmed.
Approximately 150 feet of temporary wall will be added to the existing pit road tri-oval wall, extending toward Turn 4.
The change comes in part as a result of a trio of incidents which took place two weeks ago at Pocono Raceway, where three different drivers spun off the exit of Turn 3 and ended up slamming into a portion of the pit wall.
The most serious incident involved driver Kasey Kahne in the Sprint Cup Series race. He spun and hit the pit wall on Lap 5 of the race, hitting an area filled with team members and fans with pit road passes. No one was injured.
A day earlier, Jeb Burton wrecked in almost the same fashion and location during a Cup series practice session. Burton told Motorsport.com his accident registered 45g's but was expected to receive a complete report this week. Ray Black Jr. had a similar incident during the weekend’s Truck race, but hit an area away from where teams typically pit.
MIS has also completed the addition of 700 feet of energy-absorbing SAFER barrier and tire packs on the wall inside of Turn 1.
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