Only 2 points from me. How many times, at our local bullrings, do the announcers have to "shout out" for parents to get their children away from the fences?
& secondly, let Vicki & i thank the management of Kokomo Speedway for not using cheap fencing along their front stretch. A few years ago during the Bob Darland Classic, with the final lap duel between DD & Robert Ballou & RB ends up high up into the fence, we thanked our lucky stars that fence was of top quality to stop a fire-breathing sprint car from ending up in our laps. Vicki said it's the only time she ever remembers screaming. We all know racing & we all know the old saying "when it's your time to go". We've all seen the simplest wrecks kill drivers and some of the most horrific ones the drivers jump right out. Let's just all pray that when we see the tumble on the track, that both drivers and fans walk away uninjured, we all know the risks, bob.

Thanks, Jim for your observations, now let me add one or two. At those speeds, that fence acts like a big cheese grater, and to be able to see thru it, that is about how it has to be designed, anything that hits it, gets sheared off, you could make the pieces smaller, but then maybe it would be impossible to see anything thru it, I have a feeling it was "where" it hit, that made it this severe, and, in the long run, just how safe can being there be, people fall, like the man says, it happens, and usually someone is out of place, how many times have I been told to get back from the backstretch wall at Twin Cities, several, did I know better, yes, but it do happen, the only "safe" place, at a race track, is probably on the track, in a race car with all the latest safety equipment in it, I know that's where the most fun is! Bob

Bob,

I remember that well! Earlene and I had started to leave, and we had just entered the walkway between the stands when Robert hit the fence. We thought he was coming through, but, thankfully the fence proved to be up to the task. I believe Levi wound up in the middle of the track by the flagstand.

Stevensville Mike

I agree with your observation about the pedestrians, but just how much can you control. I noticed in the clips that one fellow was trying to take a picture with his cellphone rather than rushing back from the fence.

And, the situation is not limited to spectators. Sometimes racers and crew members, and, yes, photographers, need to take a second look from where they are watching the races.

i remember when don mactavish's front end was ripped from his car and the car spun to a stop on the track and was hit head on by a racer who locked up the brakes instead of using the steering wheel. mactavish was one of my favorite race car drivers of that era, would have been a great one

Good point, bigmo. At the big NASCAR tracks, the "ushers" down front are usually all volunteers. They can "direct" fans away from the fence area at best. They are not law enforcement officials wherein they are going to intimidate a fan from standing there.

Other than reconfiguration of the seating, the only other thing i could think of would be a second catch fence about 3-4-feet behind the first, but now you are seriously impeding the sight lines of the fans. You may as well put up a tall wall if you are going to do that.

I-96 Speedway, for the main grandstand, is configured safer than most. A fan has to come under the stands, walk up onto a walkway, and then back up to the seats. The walkway is a fair distance from the fence. To get to the fence from there you'd have to shimmy down to it (there is no stairway to get there).

Of course one can go up to the fence in the turns and get to the main straight fence by walking down it from the turns, but the main grandstand configuration is a safer design.

Other tracks, like Kokomo and Mt. Pleasant Speedway off the top of my head, have a good deal of space in between the track and stands. At Kokomo one can walk up to it, but at Mt. Pleasant, you cannot even get to the track. There is a fence and then about 20 yards, or so, to the track.

Reconfiguration is the only 100% way out of this. We'll see what happens down the pipe at some of these NASCAR tracks in the future.

You can move the stands back, but then I think about Lyle Kurtenbach at Indy, tire hit him in the top row of the stands. I"ve seen a tire go into an infield and kill a child.No matter what you do , there is an inherent risk in motor racing. You can only do so much, and hope what you've done will prevent injuries and death.

Right. Tires went into the stands at MIS and Charlotte (or was it Atlanta) for open wheel races after that in the late 90s. There were fatalities. Since then, the big tracks have raised the height of the fences and curved them over the track further. MIS even put up a big fence like that along the INSIDE of the track all the way around, which, by the way, ruined watching from the infield from what it used to be. So there we are - back to impeding sight lines.

Like you stated, you can only do so much. Yes, you can make it SAFER, but you cannot make it perfect.

Must be you were not at 96 the night the non wing sprint when over the fence and into the stands. Also 96's fence does not have anything to stop-knock down a tire. I have been on the track racing and saw a tire hit the top of the fence-did not not go over but was as close as you could get with out going over.