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Safety first

Port Royal, Williams Grove among tracks working to make sport less dangerous

Sentinel file photo
Greg Hodnett, one of the most popular sprint car drivers in the region, died in an accident on the track last year despite having all the modern safety equipment available. Tracks, including Port Royal and Williams Grove, are working to make the sport safer.

PORT ROYAL — With the deaths of Jason Johnson and Greg Hodnett last season, sprint car racing industry leaders mandated changes to the chassis including the addition of two chassis support bars to the rollcage.

Also, tracks across the country have been doing safety improvements to their facilities.

Johnson died during a World of Outlaws race in June at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin, while Hodnett died in a crash at BAPS Motor Speedway in Newberrytown in September.

A sprint car safety council was formed in August and includes representatives from sanctioning bodies, speedways, manufacturers, drivers and more. Locally, Port Royal, Lincoln, Williams Grove and BAPS are all part of the council.

The purpose of the council is to advise on anything related to safety. It will meet four times per season.

For instance, if a driver reports a dangerous opening on the outside of a track, the council can recommend the speedway to fix the problem — but it would be up to the track to do so. The council does not enforce anything. However, if a series deems it unsafe, they could decide not to race there and that would carry across the industry.

The safety bars were added to the roll cage to help support it in the event of a flip. The cost increase was about $150 to add the bars, which are mandatory in the two major touring 410 sprint groups — the World of Outlaws and The All Star Circuit of Champions.

Other changes involve a T-Post for the top wing. It must be a fabricated piece and not made from any castings. The goal is to make the post stronger to help keep the wing on the car during a flip. The wing absorbs much of the energy when a sprint car flips. The left front radius rods and rod ends must be steel and not aluminum. All nerf bars must attach to the chassis at three points and not two and slip joints in the chassis — which allow for additional flex in certain parts of the chassis — are no longer permitted.

While most drivers support the changes, many want to see changes to improve safety at the tracks as well, especially since Johnson and Hodnett had all the latest safety equipment and up to date race cars. At the end of last season, Port Royal added a layer of foam and rubber to one of its concrete barriers that it identified as a potential hazard.

Water barrels were added at pit openings at Williams Grove Speedway for the National Open.

BAPS Motor Speedway closed its first turn pit opening with a gate over the winter as well.

Port Royal EMS conducted their own training exercise extracting driver Jared Esh from his car at the team’s shop in Port Royal.

“Safety is and always has been the biggest concern to me and the staff at Port Royal Speedway,” track promoter Steve O’Neal said. “We have made several improvements to the facility over the past eight years and most of them were made to try and make the speedway safer for our drivers, crews, fans and our staff.

“We have put up all new lights around the track and in the pit area to help the drivers’ vision. We reduced the large opening in turn four where the cars had entered and exited the track by actually making two separate areas and also changing the path of getting the cars off the speedway after each race by having them come thru the inside pit area. We have also increased our safety lights around the track, put up new guard rail around the track and also new catch fences around turn four and hopefully this year around turn three. The first and second turn fencing has all been done over,” he said

“We have either eliminated or changed all the openings around the track and put barriers in place to the existing ones that are left. We have also invested heavily in equipment and training for our fire crews who work the races weekly for us,” O’Neal added. “Six years ago, we asked our insurance carrier to come to the track and give us a written report on areas where they would like us to improve the facility regarding safety. I’m proud of the fact that the fair board has addressed everything that was on that list.

“Racing has always been somewhat of a dangerous sport and it will always remain that way when you have cars running against each other in close packs and with the speed they run. We will never be able to eliminate all the injuries that will come from racing accidents but all speedways need to be like the staff at Port Royal and try to improve on areas of concern.”

O’Neal said the sprint car council was formed for safety ideas and will continue to work to try and make tracks and sprint cars as safe as possible.

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