NASCAR: Which Tracks Will Be SAFER In 2016?

Watkins Glen

Changes Made: No response from Watkins Glen was received for this story. The track will be completely resurfaced before the 2016 season, and there has been some talk of using “the boot” section which is normally not used in NASCAR competition, but that has not been finalized and no safety improvements are planned.

Comment: See all that Armco barrier in the photo above?  It’s what will get someone killed at Pocono and here too if it is not removed and replaced with SAFER barriers covering concrete walls.  Armco, when covered with tire barriers as is common, tends to catapult objects off of it, just ask Ryan Newman.  Drivers are critical of this track every year, and one of these years it will be too late for the track to have listened.

"“The barriers, the SAFER barrier, that doesn’t exist here,” said Newman, a long-time advocate of safety in NASCAR. “The Armco walls, there’s no concrete walls. It’s just a very antiquated race track and the safety is not at all at NASCAR standards. It’s a shame we have to have accidents like that to prove it.”"

Track President Michael Printup doesn’t seem to care, either:

"“It’s about the fans, corporate sponsors, and the media,” said Printup. “I tell you what, when your TV ratings spike like they did for us, our attendance was up, camping attendance was up, our youth population was up. We’re hitting all the marks and doing it the right way. It’s very important for us. We want to keep that momentum going in the right direction. Year after year, Watkins Glen has been showing it, so we just want to keep showing the world that Watkins Glen is on the map for a reason.” Printup said he had not reached out to Newman, and even admitted he tried to avoid him in the driver-crew chief meeting. “I just figured he was probably still mad, so I figured better left untouched,” he said. “I did want to talk to him to make sure he was good and OK. I had nothing else to say to him, I had no bones with him.”"

So, it’s all about ratings and money, not driver or spectator safety, right?  Sure seems so.

Next: Darlington Raceway