Daytona ready to race after accident, injured fans improving

Crews made repairs to the fence damaged Saturday overnight. (Photo: Greg Engle)
Crews made repairs to the fence damaged Saturday overnight. (Photo: Greg Engle)
Crews made repairs to the fence damaged Saturday overnight. (Photo: Greg Engle)

NASCAR has made repairs to the fence damaged Saturday when a racecar flew up into it injuring 28 fans. Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood told the media Sunday morning that crews worked through the night and NASCAR approved the repairs early Sunday morning.

One thing that will be different is the lack of a crossover gate. The gate snagged the car of Kyle Larson and ripped the front of it off scattering parts including the engine and a tire into the stands injuring the 28 fans. When the fence was repaired Saturday night the gate was removed.

“We just had a straight fence there,” Chitwood said. “That was based on timing of being ready to run the Daytona 500.” MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.