Mark Martin’s car went sliding off the track at Michigan International Speedway and crashed sideways into a pit road barrier. The vehicle was pierced by the short, narrow end of the wall, but Martin was able to walk away.
It was a fluky accident _ exactly the type of thing that scares drivers and racing officials alike.
“When we see things like that, it’s just a reminder to us that the work on safety never stops,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition.
Pemberton said Monday that NASCAR is ready to take a look at Martin’s scary crash from Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. The driver’s team will be consulted, and aerial photos will be studied.
MIS track president Roger Curtis says he’s ready to follow NASCAR’s lead. His track doesn’t have another NASCAR race this year, and Curtis says it’s important not to rush into changes that might solve one safety issue while creating another.
“We don’t want to make a knee-jerk reaction,” he said.
The worst of the impact to Martin’s car was just in front of the left rear tire, dangerously close to the driver-side door.
The issue that came up Sunday isn’t unique to MIS. The end of the pit row barrier is
