[Team Yates]

Talladega raises catchfence: As a safety precaution to protect fans and competitors, Talladega Superspeedway extended the height of its frontstretch catch fence by eight feet, president Rick Humphrey told ESPN.com Monday. The decision was made in reaction to a horrific accident on the final lap of the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race on April 29, which sent Carl Edwards' Ford airborne into the previous fencing and sent debris spraying into the grandstands. The fence held up in the crash but was destroyed, creating concern about fan safety at the high-speed 2.66-mile venue. Humphrey and his staff hired an outside engineering firm to survey the damage. It was recommended that the fence height be extended. It stood 14 feet in April. It now stands 22 feet, and the top bows out over the track surface. There are other enhancements to the fence, too, though Humphrey said he is not at liberty to discuss them. "The engineering team we consulted with has that information," he said. "It is proprietary information that they've provided to us. They're okay with the height, that's something to the naked eye you'll certainly be able to see. There are other variables you can't get into."(ESPN.com)(10-6-2009)

[oncea3fan]

I really think nascar should add wieght to the cars at the plate tracks.
if a 3400 lb car goes airbourn @200 mph , what does a 4000 car do @ 180 (the wieght will also slow them down some). and tires , well guess the driver might need to lift in the turns because the grip won't hold 4000 lbs.
hey if they lift we can open up the plate some thats a good thing.

[Lefturn]

Adding weight may help one aspect but create a whole new set of problems. How will a heavier car handle in a pack? How will a catch fence hold up with a heavier car? How will the car stand up getting t-boned by a heavier car?

I am not against the idea, it might work, but its not something that can be done without thinking it through.

[Robertdjr]

I guess raising the fence is the easiest thing the track could do to show they're doing something. I'd love to know what those other "enhancements" are though, and why they're such a secret.

[mike honcho]

The problem wasn't with the height of the fence.It's what went THRU the fence was the problem.I hope the "secret enhancements" that they can't talk about fix that.

[nascaraddict]

Maybe add some height. That's a good idea. But also add some stregnth to it. Make the thing more heavy duty. And maybe as a last ditch senerio, take out the first couple rows of seats. But I think if you do the other couple suggestions, the later would'nt be nessacary.

[Quality88]

I hope they enforced that thing good.... I mean, did they lose any stability by building it higher. Will it hold if another car goes flyin into it..... I sure as hell hope they did their homework and looked at the engineering long and hard.

[oncea3fan]

raising the fence is fine , but I think it would be better to keep the cars on the ground ...........with out using smaller plates!

[nascaraddict]

Brian France is an idiot. But I don't think he want's to alienate even more NA_CAR fans by screwing with the plate track cars again.