Motorsports Industry Gathers for Best-in-Class Training, Best-Practice Sharing for 2017
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 10, 2017) – Safety is a founding NASCAR tenet and as a contact sport with major multi-day events that span the calendar, it’s vitally important that the professionals who will respond to incidents be prepared with the latest technology and best practices. That’s why medical, safety, security and operations professionals from race tracks nationwide and abroad convened for the annual NASCAR Summit Presented by American Medical Response (AMR).
The three-day gathering at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Concord, North Carolina, concluded today and featured instruction from some of the nation’s leading experts. It also provided an opportunity for the industry to share best practices and recognize and honor its best work.
“Our goal as an industry is to provide the best event experience for our fans as well as best-in-class safety for our competitors. This Summit plays a vital role in making that happen,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “NASCAR and the facilities where we compete feature the most highly skilled and dedicated professionals. They are faced with ever-changing challenges and environments, and they continually rise to those challenges. This annual gathering continues to grow, and we’re excited to have AMR on board as the presenting sponsor.”
“We are proud and pleased to be the presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Summit. This is an important gathering of professionals from across the country,” said Randy Strozyk, AMR executive vice president of operations.
The Summit featured more than 30 general and discipline-specific breakout sessions that addressed topics ranging from weather contingency planning to incident scene management. Presenters included leading physicians, track services professionals and law enforcement agencies.
Nationally known speaker, attorney Gordon Graham delivered the keynote presentation. A top expert in law enforcement and public service training, he specializes in risk management.
During the event’s final general session, awards were presented to top medical, security and track services personnel for their outstanding achievements and innovations from the 2016 season. Award winners were:
Track Services
- Mission Award: Daytona International Speedway
- Teamwork Award: Kentucky Speedway
- Innovation Award: Pocono Raceway
- Excellence in Track Services Award: Jay Donnay, Homestead-Miami Speedway
Medical
- Above and Beyond Award: Dr. Angela Fiege, Dr. John Maino, Dr. Brian Nao
- Nursing Director Award: Jackie Coats, Watkins Glen International
- Teamwork Award: Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway
Security
- Security Director’s Award: George Brazzale, Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Jim Hosfelt, Dover International Speedway
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opens the 2017 season with the 59th Annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 26 (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
