NASCAR to put fans right back in crash seats
A wheel, tire and suspension parts sit in the stands after a crash on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. / AP Photo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Fans feeling unsafe after the horrific crash at Daytona International Speedway can change seats for NASCAR's biggest race.
Track President Joie Chitwood said Sunday workers successfully repaired a section of fence — 54 feet wide and 22 feet high — that was shredded Saturday when Kyle Larson's car went airborne on the final lap of a second-tier race and crashed through the barrier that separates cars from fans. Large pieces of debris, including a tire, sprayed into the upper and lower section of the stands.
The crash injured more than 30 people, raising more questions about fan safety at race tracks.
Halifax Health spokesman Byron Cogdell said seven people with crash-related injuries remained hospitalized Sunday in Daytona Beach in stable condition. The six people brought to a different Halifax hospital in Port Orange with crash-related injuries had all been discharged by Sunday morning, Cogdell said.
Daytona racecar loses control
A spokeswoman at Florida Memorial Medical Center would not release information Sunday on the patients brought to that hospital.
Chitwood, meanwhile, said if any fans are uncomfortable with their up-close seating for Sunday's Daytona 500, officials will work to move them.
"If fans are unhappy with their seating location or if they have any incidents, we would relocate them," Chitwood said Sunday. "So we'll treat that area like we do every other area of the grandstand. If a fan is not comfortable where they're sitting, we make every accommodation we can."
Larry Spencer of Nanticoke, Pa., said Sunday he's not sure he wants to ever sit that low again after his 15-year-old brother, Derrick, needed three stitches in his cheek after being hit by metal debris flying from the crash. They sat close to the fence Saturday, but returned for the Daytona 500 with tickets dozens of rows farther away from the track.
"I thought it was just neat to see the cars going by that close," Spencer said. "After yesterday, though, I definitely will reconsider sitting lower ever again."
- NASCAR has some cleaning and explaining to do
- Daytona crash sends car parts flying, injuring fans
- Horrifying crash at Daytona exposes risks to fans
The tire that flew into the stands landed a couple of rows above where they had been standing. After the crash, looking around at the people seriously injured, Spencer said he decided to take his brother to a hospital himself so that speedway crews and paramedics could focus on the people who needed more help.
"The only way to describe it was like a bomb went off, and the car pretty much exploded," Spencer said.
Track workers finished repairs about 2 a.m. Sunday, having installed a new fence post, new metal meshing and part of the concrete wall.
Officials decided not to rebuild the collapsed cross-over gate, which allows fans to travel between the stands and the infield before races.
Even with the crash and potential questions about fan safety, the enthusiasm for NASCAR's "Super Bowl" might dampen any concerns. CBS affiliate WKMG-TV in Orlando reports some fans camped out for two weeks in order to get good spots for the race.
"Nobody's going to think about that, it's racing," said Brian Wisneski from Pennsylvania. "Accidents, happen. They happen on the highway everyday."
Daytona has a grandstand remodel planned. Chitwood said the injuries could prompt a redesign that might include sturdier fences or stands further away from the on-track action.
"It's tough to connect the two right now in terms of a potential redevelopment and what occurred," Chitwood said. "We were prepared yesterday, had emergency medical respond. As we learn from this, you bet: If there are things that we can incorporate into the future, whether it's the current property now or any other redevelopment, we will.
"The key is sitting down with NASCAR, finding out the things that happened and how we deal with them."
Daytona reexamined its fencing and ended up replacing the entire thing following Carl Edwards' scary crash at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama in 2009. Edwards' car sailed into the fence and spewed debris into the stands.
"We've made improvements since then," Chitwood said. "I think that's the key: that we learn from this and figure out what else we need to do."
- no previous page
- next
1/2
Popular on CBSNews.com
-
Photos: Underground shots of NYC's Second Ave. subway project New York City's Second Ave. subway was first conceived almost a century ago and when it is completed, it will extend all the way down the eastern side of Manhattan with 16 new stations. CBS News' Don Dahler reports on one of the most challenging public works projects in the country.
- Reporter Michael Hastings dies at 33
- Report: U.S. teacher training an "industry of mediocrity"
- Girl who lost feet in lawnmower gets prosthetics
- Tornado briefly touches down on Denver airport runways
- FAA approval sought for 650-foot-tall Vegas thrill ride
- Day care worker accused of drugging snacks for nap-time
- Report: Pregnant workers face routine discrimination
- Shock as alleged Nazi unit leader, 94, found in U.S
this is an example of absolutism that is quite annoying in society. that no one should do something, see something a certain way, or feel different than what the closed-minded right-winger believes. if this 'brian' guy has been reading any of the stories about the race, he surely has been hearing some people saying they are thinking about their safety, but he wants to downplay their feelings on it as being odd, that no fan would feel that way, that there's accidents on the road every day, so you should be fine with tires hitting you in the head at a NASCAR race! LOL... Lord, help us!