Future of NASCAR safety regulations

 On Saturday as the DRIVE4COPD 300 race entered its final lap, a major crash occurred when Kyle Larson's car collided with Brian Scott's car starting a ripple effect subsequently damaging other driver's cars as well. Parts of Larson's car, which went airborne, managed to fly over the safety fence, that actually was broken in the process. This fence set at the Daytona International Speedway is designed to protect fans from these kinds of incidents. All of the drivers made it out of their vehicles without any major injuries or trips to the hospital as they plan and protect themselves in the event that incidents like this occur each time they get into their cars. The vulnerable fans however, who intend to just spectate at an exhilarating race, are the ones at risk when the safety fence doesn't keep them quite as safe as they would expect.
 Although Speedway President Joie Chitwood III assured the media and public that all of the proper safety protocols were followed in a timely manner after the crash, that doesn't change that fact that the incident occurred and as a result some fans will be undoubtedly be traumatized. According to ESPN 16 year old Tyler (who preferred not to include his last name) said that he is a frequent NASCAR spectator and "this is just not supposed to happen", as he was close enough to the crash to get clear video coverage of it from the stands. Another fan told ESPN it looked like "a warzone".
  I can only imagine the thoughts and feeling of fear those spectators had to be processing as they watched the accident unfold, especially those injured. 28 fans were injured and of those, 14 were sent to the local hospital. Of those 14, 2 were actually in critical condition but were later stabilized. The question still remains: was this just an unfortunate isolated incident or lack of 100% properly taken precautions by NASCAR and the Daytona International Speedway?
  Although it is very unfortunate that innocent fans were harmed and the sport surely brings in enough revenue to ensure that they provide quality protective equipment throughout any track, I don't agree with the speculation that the fans seats should be moved back further unless a fan personally requests it. NASCAR is on the more high risk end but in virtually any sport spectators are at risk of injury and and harm, even golf. But that is a prat of the thrill of the game and the thrill comes with watching it live. I just think that NASCAR and IndyCar needs to carefully find a highly accredited engineering company to innovate a more reliable safety fence. It is not fair to punish all NASCAR and IndyCar fans because of the injuries and accidents that occurred on Saturday. You attend at your own risk, just be prepared and aware of the risk you are taking with seats that close.
  Nonetheless, I do expect some new rules of spectating to be implemented whether it be more emergency responders on site and closer to the fans or a certain distance between the stands and track that fans are not allowed to cross. It will be interesting to see how the Racecar industry handles this one. If there are any changes in regulations, I will have to follow-up on this.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of how the crash looked and how bad it was

 

Sources : CNN