Atlanta Motor Speedway extending protective barriers
Atlanta Motor Speedway said on Tuesday it will make a number of additions to its existing barrier system ahead of Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
The announcement comes in the wake of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch's crash on Saturday during an Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Busch suffered a broken leg and foot when he crashed head-on into an interior wall with eight laps remaining.
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Officials from the speedway and NASCAR met on Monday to review the track's existing SAFER barriers at the facility. At Daytona, Busch hit a portion of the wall that was not covered in the protective barrier.
"The protective wall at the exit of pit road near Turn 1 will be extended, and a tire barrier will be added along the inside wall of Turn 4 to offer supplementary safety protection," the speedway's statement said. "The installations will add a total of 130 linear feet of additional protective barrier prior to this weekend's NASCAR events."
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The speedway also plans to further review additional installations of SAFER barriers following Sunday's race, which begins at 1 p.m. ET. Kasey Kahne won the race in 2014, one year after Busch won.
- Mike Fiammetta
