NASCAR spent the ensuing hours assessing the impact following Austin Dillon’s high flying crash into the catch fence on the final lap of the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
For the second time in three years spectators were injured when debris was sprayed into the grandstands at Daytona.
Of the 13 spectators injured, eight declined medical attention while one was taken to hospital and was reported to be in a stable condition.
The Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Dillon was flung into the air on the front straight before impacting the fence at such force that it destroyed a large section of the barrier and tore the engine and transmission from the car.
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Dillon was able to escape the wreck with a bruised tailbone as NASCAR was forced into another reality check.
A similar crash occurred in 2013 when dozens of fans were taken to hospital after Kyle Larson’s Nationwide Series car careened into the catch fence in a huge pile up just before the start finish line.
Daytona International Speedway track president Joie Chitwood said additional safety work had ‘worked’.
“We’ll take this situation, we’ll learn from it, we’ll analyse it, and we’ll round up our engineering team and see if there’s any additional things we can learn to get better the next time,” he said.
“We assessed 13 individuals in the grandstands. Eight declined any medical attention.
“We had four treated on property in our first aid and care centres, and we had one transported off property to a local hospital.
“That individual was reported as stable when they were transported off property.
“Obviously through the last couple years, we’ve learned a lot, whether it’s fencing or the facility itself in terms of enhancements.
“One of the elements of the project of Daytona Rising was no longer having fans or individuals on Rim Road and closing off the grandstands on the front row, so those were in the new sections, and that was what was in place today, and I think it did a very good job.”
NASCAR chairman and chief executive Brian France said while the stock car series wants tight racing, ‘we put safety at the top of the list’.
“We have a track record of getting those things right although it’s a moving target and it’s never simple,” he said.
“An accident like last night; it takes your breath away.
“We are working on solutions all the time to make racing better and safer.”
VIDEO: Joie Chitwood, the Daytona track president
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