Superspeedway fences – room for improvement? Image by Abbott/LAT

Q: I appreciate your comments regarding catch fences. I know there is a contingent of the racing community that would like to replace them right now, or eliminate ovals as these are too dangerous. Walls were too dangerous until the SAFER Barrier and tire walls were devised. I also remember Paul Rademacher’s fatal crash at Waukegan Speedway with its steel guardrail, and wood guardrails were absolute crap, but they are still required in some jurisdictions.  I would like to see continued efforts from major sanctioning bodies and the tracks to make a safer catch fence or other means of containing pieces of cars and the cars themselves.

Jim Fahlstedt

RM: As I wrote, today’s fences were meant to contain debris – not 1,600-pound missiles going 200 mph – so for what the fences are asked to do, for the most part they’re adequate until a better solution comes along. Pocono’s fence kept Wickens inside the track, but obviously the violence of the sudden stop, the gyrations and then slamming back into the track caused all his injuries. Like IndyCar’s Jay Frye said, they were encouraged but not satisfied.

Q: To improve safety with the fences, I think we should draw inspiration from baseball. This year MLB extended its safety netting further down the foul lines to protect fans. In doing so, it also made the netting stronger by spinning each thread tighter, so that the openings are closer while either improving or not affecting visibility for spectators. I’d like to see us doing something like that. We should be exploring alternatives that can be weaved closer together, are preferably thinner, and probably with slightly more give. We need to look into high-strength alternatives, and explore fibers and different manufacturing process that would result in some kind of high-strength mesh that wouldn’t rip apart or damage as easily when a car gets into it. I know Plexiglas has been thrown around, and I’m sure it could probably be done somehow with Opticor. But I imagine it would be pretty expensive to manufacture and install, and if it isn’t financially possible it obviously couldn’t be done. Not sure I’ve heard of anyone looking into netting though. Is that something that IndyCar has looked into, or is it something that could be explored?

Alex from Michigan

RM: Tony Cotman (who is on the FIA Circuits Commission and also designs race tracks and approves others for IndyCar) said in my story last week, there are people working on fencing ideas all over the world but, to date, nobody has presented anything yet to replace what we have. Is it incumbent on IndyCar and NASCAR to get together and design a better one? That’s probably how it’s going to have to happen, because Tony George is the reason the SAFER Barrier came to life, and the new era of fences will be an expensive one. People say it’s IndyCar’s problem, but don’t forget Kyle Larson’s crash at Daytona a few years back so I’m sure there are places that NASCAR would like to bolster. Cotman represents IndyCar at FIA meetings so if there’s something on the horizon, IndyCar will be able to react.

Q: I think your article about catch fences is wrong. Not because it’s not accurate or well-researched. It was. But we can do better. Saying that what we have now is OK because of money, time constraints, or any other reason isn’t good enough. I’m a millennial (ugh) race fan, and part of that means that I think we can do better. If we can figure out how to make it so I can look up how to spell millennial on my phone while writing this… we can figure out a better solution to a catch fence.

You have a voice in this world, don’t let them off with an “it’s the best we can do.” You defined “opposition media” before it was cool. Put the pressure on those who can make this better! In a world where Sam Schmidt has to measure his words to not upset the apple cart after one of his drivers gets hurt, the best person I can think of is you. Come on. Don’t let them tell you they can’t because of money. No one could afford the SAFER walls either. But they all did, didn’t they? You can put the pressure on, and we are here to back you up!

Andrew, Noblesville

RM: I appreciate your confidence in me, but it is about money, and who is going to pay for new fencing around ovals in this country? We’d like to think IndyCar and NASCAR would step up, and they probably would if a better fence came along, but it’s obviously not an easy equation. The price Randy Bernard was quoted by Raytheon for Plexiglas around IMS a few years ago was astronomical, but IndyCar has a watchdog (Tony Cotman) in this arena. The SAFER Barrier was a breakthrough and the most important advancement in oval track history, so if someone designs something similar in the fence world, I’m sure IndyCar and NASCAR would do the right thing. But IndyCar doesn’t have the budget or people to design something on its own; it’s got to be something scientific that is presented to them. And it’s not here yet.

Q: A lot of ovals have signage behind the catch fences along the back straight. What if those signs were on the front and flush with the SAFER Barrier?  Perhaps made of acrylic, or even metal. Should a car go up into the fence, it wouldn’t be caught and shredded. If the signs were joined, the car would slide and bounce back onto the track. Think of a puck on the glass at a hockey game. Further, the signage space may pay for itself over time. Also I heard Michael Andretti’s critique of the Wickens incident. It was straight, not emotional. He spoke like a driver in debrief. Didn’t deserve the social media hate!

Island JM, Irvine, CA

RM: Davey Hamilton brought that up the other day and I imagine it could work, except would a sign be able to contain a 1,600-pound car flying into it at 200 mph? Michael just needed to tag his comment with something about hoping Wickens is OK.