Waltrip on SAFER Barrier Debate After Hamlin’s Accident

Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR on FOX & SPEED analyst and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, weighed in on the debate about whether or not all tracks should have SAFER barriers around the entire racing surface. Following are his comments:

"Knowing what we know today about safety, there is no excuse for not having SAFER barriers all the way around every track. It would have made all the difference in the world for Hamlin at Fontana. That boy wouldn’t have a hurt back now if there were SAFER barriers in place there. He would have climbed out of the car and just been mad at Joey Logano over their wreck.

"But we all saw how violent Hamlin’s hit was — that whole car came off the ground, much like happened to Elliott Sadler at Pocono a couple of years ago. We need a SAFER barrier anywhere a car can hit a wall because at 200 miles-per-hour, cars can go places you never dreamed of. So, why take that chance? With Jeff Gordon hitting the wall at Las Vegas, who would have thought a car could hit there? But cars can and will go anywhere, and we keep learning that lesson the hard way. If there is a wall around the track, it should be protected. Hamlin is proof of that."