Soft walls highlight upgrades to track in advance of April’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
Rockingham, N.C. (January 9, 2012) – The second phase of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers is underway at Rockingham Speedway in advance of the April 15, 2012 running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club Roadside Assistance Carolina 200.
When complete, this installation will encase the south and north ends of the speedway (turns one and two and turns three and four, respectively) in the force absorbing barriers.
For the first phase, crews installed SAFER barriers along the inside backstretch wall in October 2011 before the American 200 and Polar Bear 150.
Crews work to install the turn three SAFER barriers at Rockingham Speedway late last week.
“The SAFER barriers that we had in place on the backstretch held up great to the hits they took during the last two race weekends,” said Rockingham Speedway President Andy Hillenburg. “You hate to see anyone wreck, but it’s good to know we’ve done all that we can to make the track safe.
“As a racer, safety is always my number one concern,” said Hillenburg, who made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup start at the track in 1991. “Regardless of NASCAR’s decision to come back to Rockingham, SAFER barriers were a need for us and I’m glad we are able to be make that happen and are moving closer to completion. As we’ve seen over the years, there are some hard hits along that inside wall coming off of (turn) two and when things go bad getting into (turn) one, they go very bad.”
NASCAR requires the technology at any facility at which it sanctions an event in its top-three National Touring Series – Sprint Cup, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Commonly referred to as “soft walls,” SAFER barriers are designed to absorb a portion of the energy in a crash, lessening the impact on the driver.
After the trucks, which are joined by the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (FKSSN) and the UARA Late Models, get their crack at Rockingham and its new SAFER barriers in April, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the UARA Late Model Series are next up on the schedule. All three series will crown their 2012 series champion during the November 3 tripleheader.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the speedway office at 855.NC.ROCKS or visit online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com.
