S.A.F.E.R. Walls

The SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) wall technology has been a priority safety initiative between NASCAR, the Indy Racing League, Dr. Dean Sicking and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since the fall of 2000.

The technology, which helps in reducing the force of the initial impact, consists of rectangular steel tubing backed by foam blocks that is installed in front of the race track’s traditional cement walls. The process of adding the SAFER walls takes approximately two to three months for each track and that timeframe consists of the ordering of the specific materials, bending of the steel tubing to fit the radius of the race track’s corners, shipment and installation. Once the ordering, bending and shipment are completed, it takes an estimated two to three weeks to actually install the wall.

The SAFER wall technology debuted in 2002 when Indianapolis Motor Speedway had SAFER walls installed through the four corners of the 2.5-mile oval for the Indy Racing League’s (IRL) Indianapolis 500 in May and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Brickyard 400 in August.