NASCAR's Biggest Concern - Safety of the Fans

Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/NASCAR via Getty Images

Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR Senior VP of Racing Operations, addressed the media at Phoenix International Speedway today in regards to the aftermath of the violent crash on the last lap of the Nationwide Series race in Daytona.

"Based on what happened in Daytona, we met immediately with the folks at Daytona International Speedway. We had multiple meetings this week. It's been a truly collaborative effort with the goal of doing really two things. Obviously, looking at what happened in this incident but more importantly the go forward plan of what we can learn and what we want to implement as we go forward."

O'Donnell had a few updates that he shared with the media:

• The No. 32 car along with its parts were secured by NASCAR immediately and it remained in Daytona so that an investigation could be conducted by the Daytona International Speedway.
• Now, the No. 32 car is currently in the process of being taken to the R&D Center.
• Most of the safety features in the car did their job of protecting the driver.

In conclusion, he made this final comment: "Our focus is going to be - if the elements of the car did their job, now what do we need to do in looking at the what happened once that car got into the fence with parts getting away."

Unique Hiram is an Associate Editor/Contributing Writer/Media Rep for Skirts and Scuffs. Additionally, she is also the author of "Fast Lane Poetry," which was published April 2011. Unique can be contacted via email or through Twitter.