May 2, 2002 4 min read

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Jeff Ward hopes he’ll be too busy racing to notice the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s new “soft walls.” “As a driver, we probably won’t even know they’re there,” the 1999 Indy 500 runner-up said. “There’s probably a certain comfort level knowing that they’re out there.”

On Wednesday, four days before practice opens for the Indianapolis 500, speedway officials released details about the new energy-absorbing walls in the four corners on the 21/2-mile oval.

“I think it’s another step in the progression of race-car safety,” said Ward, who has three top-four finishes in five Indy 500 starts. “You look back at the helmet, at seat belts, and I think soft walls are another step in that progression.”

The Indy Racing League and NASCAR have spent four years working with researchers at the University of Nebraska to create a wall that helps reduce the impact of a crash.

The wall is comprised of four steel tubes welded together in 20- foot sections. Bolts in the concrete wall and on the back of the new device hold the wall in place.

Between the concrete and steel are 16 inches of hard, pink foam, spaced 10 feet apart. The foam acts as a shock absorber, allowing the wall to bend, thereby reducing the force. The soft walls extend 201/2 inches from the concrete walls but are out of the racing line.

“Obviously, this is a very exciting time,” said Brian Barnhart, IRL vice president for operations. “But there is some sense of uneasiness or nervousness because we’re entering some unkowns.”

The “soft walls” are the third such device tried at Indianapolis. The PEDS system was used on the inside wall of turn four in 1998, but it was taken down after Arie Luyendyk caromed back into traffic and scattered debris across the track during an IROC race.

A second PEDS system was used the next year, and it worked better when Hideshi Matsuta tapped the wall. Researchers, though, still detected flaws.

Now, after three more years of development and 18 crash tests, the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) wall will be tested live for the first time.

“We expect to learn a lot more in the next three weeks than we have the last three years,” said Dean Sicking, who works at Nebraska and helped design the wall. “Our hope is that within the next three to four weeks, we’ll understand the performance of this barrier much better.”

The crash tests were conducted with cars that were towed by a pulley at speeds between 100 and 153 mph and at angles of 20 to 25.5 degrees.

On April 16, Eliseo Salazar crashed in turn one during a testing session, hitting the outside wall at what team owner A.J. Foyt estimated to be 150 G-forces. Salazar needed surgery to repair a torn artery in his chest and will miss the rest of the season.

But that occurred before the soft walls, which speedway officials approved last week, were installed.

“I don’t know much about the soft walls and I don’t want to feel them,” said Bruno Junqueira, who finished fifth with Chip Ganassi’s team in his first Indy start last year. “But I think they’re a very good thing that can reduce the impact or consequences of crashing on an oval.”

The question is whether they will hold up.

If successful, developers expect the walls will become one of the most significant safety devices in racing.

Other IRL venues and those on the NASCAR circuit may install their own versions, which would have to be customized to each track.

“The results have been very positive, but the next step is to see what happens on the race track,” said Gary Nelson, managing director of NASCAR competition.

Speedway officials said they would defer decisions about using the walls for the Brickyard 400 or the U.S. Grand Prix to officials from NASCAR and FIA.

But Indy 500 drivers are pleased with what they’ve heard.

“I don’t think it’s going to make anyone any braver than they were yesterday,” said Ward, who also drives for Chip Ganassi. “I’m not sure what it cuts it down by, but any reduction is a plus.”