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Any improvements to this facility is an upgrade. This facility is dilapidated and desperate need of upgrades. We should just be thankful people are spending money. I'm sure those concrete cage crushing barriers were put there as a cheap way to get to an end game, whatever it was.
We can talk about we need blah blah feet of run off and a catch fence. How many times have we seen cars end up near the parking lot at Bloomington? 30 years ago that never happened. The cars today are much faster and need a longer run way to dissipate energy. The 100 feet isn't enough with the speeds they are traveling esp. at THAT. Hell, my 10 year old daughter can throw a discus 100', see my point?
We can debate all we want on what is safer, in the park or out of the park? Most drivers fear coming back into oncoming traffic after they make impact with a wall and getting hit by traffic. Therefore most drivers prefer out of the park, but in some instance this isn't the right answer. Just ask John Westbrook when he went out of the Grove over 1&2 about 10 years ago. He is now paralyzed waist down. The drop off at the Grove is 12-15' lower than the top of the turn. Clearly not enough of a runway to stop the car safely if it goes out.
The high tiered guardrail at Knoxville has done its job, albeit a few cars have gone over, and for the most part its been a successful. Most of the time the car that hits the wall doesn't come back across the track and pretty much stays near or close to the wall.
If you are worried about crashing you shouldn't be racing. If you're worried about junking a car you shouldn't be racing. If you are trying to buy the cheapest and least amount of safety equipment then you shouldn't be racing. See my point here.
Racetracks are racetracks, some are safer than others. Choose which ones you want to race at, the choice is yours.
Any help a track can get is a good thing.
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