What are SAFER barriers in NASCAR?

NASCAR is a sport where drivers flirt with death at the speed of 190 mph during races. Even though there are various safety devices to ensure maximum safety of the racers, the crashes can be unnervingly scary for them. NASCAR cars are heavy machine racing at extreme speed around the ovals with steep banking. All this becomes a recipe for a lot adrenaline filled exciting racing, however, at the time these factors contribute to the risk of the sport as a small mistake may lead to a fatal wreck. Dale Earnhardt for example, who enjoyed great success in the sport, lost his life to a car wreck at the Daytona 500.

Barriers are the absolute nightmare for any driver in NASCAR. No matter how much Ross Chastain may love riding the wall to qualification, there is no doubt that drivers tend to stay away from the barriers as much as possible during the race. A contact with barriers at such high speeds is sure to create a multi-car wreck which may turn into a tragedy within minutes. The drivers can easily destroy their cars if they launch themselves into the barrier, ending their race instantly. These reasons made NASCAR introduce the SAFER barriers.

NASCAR Safer Barriers

The SAFER Barrier stands for Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier. The name may sound gimmicky, however, it has contributed to the sport at a great level. These barriers are found on all oval tracks and the fast sections of road courses. It is intended to reduce the kinetic energy of the crash and help protect the driver by lessening injuries to them and the spectators. They were first introduced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. SAFER barriers are made of steel tubes welded together in a flush mounting strapped to the existing concrete wall.

There were many incidents in NASCAR that led to fatal accidents and loss of life because of the way the barriers were created early on. The concrete barriers were so strong that they could easily withstand the impact of a heavy crash. This was a helpful factor in the maintenance of the barrier.

The grunt of the crash was always borne by the driver and car. In the 20th century the sharply increasing speeds and high profile accidents at the tracks was a wake up call for NASCAR who started finding solutions to make a useful barrier. The SAFER barrier is designed in such a way that it can bear the impact of the crash almost fully and stop the car from bouncing back into the traffic. The SAFER barrier is also praised because of its cost effectiveness and easy repairability that helps restart the events soon after a wreck.